The Next Four Years
by midnightquiver
Summary: Everyone has secrets; college,the best four years right?Yeah, we'll see.Kat now lives in a house off campus with Caleb Danvers and Reid Garwin.She's afraid they'll know her secret.Imagine if she knew theirs.She never knew college would be like this.
1. Prologue

**I don't own the Covenant even though it's a nice thought**

Somehow the words 'best four years of your life' didn't come to mind at the current place and time.

Kat looked around the campus. The first thing on her to do list was to find a place to live. Sure, there were a lot of places, but most of them didn't allow freshman. She'd be lucky if she found a place. Then it was like karma dropped on her feet like a blessing of sorts. A sign out front of a large house said that they were looking for roommates. Kat sighed thankfully. Maybe she'd get lucky.

Granted the house wasn't all great looking. There was ivy crawling up the side and it was gothic, but a place was better than no place. She hoped that there wouldn't be many questions.

Walking up the porch steps she knocked on the door frame being the door was open.

"Come in!" a deep voice called or sort of grunted.

Kat sighed and groaned a little to herself. _Great, guys_. She walked in slowly. Things were strewn all over the place. Today was move in day so it made sense.

"In here!" the same voice called

Kat followed it into the living room where there were even more boxes and a young man was trying to situate a tv…a large flat screen no less. She watched him shove it and grunt a little more. From this angle she didn't mind too much. His dark skin shimmered a little from how hard he was working. When he turned to face her mind went completely blank. The whole introduction to impress him kind of was wiped from her mind. He smiled at her and she just stood there probably looking like a moron.

"Do I know you?" he asked with a smile

"Uh no," she said snapping from her indecent staring "I was actually here to ask about the roommate thing."

"Ah, right."

"I should go though." she said suddenly

_He's probably looking for a roommate with more testosterone._

"Well, wait. There are a few questions I need to ask you to see if it's alright." He said

Kat froze in her steps and turned to look at him surprised. He chuckled at the look on her face.

"Uh, okay." She said

"Your name might be a good start." He said

"Oh, right. Kat Pandora and yes I know the last name is weird." She said with a half laugh

"Caleb Danvers." He said introducing himself "You don't have a problem with Co-ed do you?"

"No. It's fine." She said

"I do have to know if you have any sort of criminal record. It's kind of a rule from the campus."

Kat bit the inside of her cheek. That was the question that would ruin her.

"I do." She said

Caleb seemed to look past her now. Kat just looked at the floor. _Shit. _

"Look, I can pay double the rent. Money isn't a problem. I kind of need a place okay?" she said so fast that she was sure the words blended together.

"We can't let someone with a criminal record stay here."

"Damn straight." A voice from behind said

Kat's head whirled to see a tall blonde standing there leaning against a door frame. She just glared at him, and he actually seemed to be uncomfortable about it.

"Shut up Reid!" Caleb growled

"It's not that we wouldn't want you here it's-"

The blonde on named Reid interrupted.

"Actually it is that. It's an estrogen free zone. Go try the dorms freshmeat." He said sarcastically

"I tried! Or did you think I was moron that I'd rather come here first?" she snapped in his general direction.

Caleb's eyebrows rose as he tried to suppress a grin at Kat's comeback.

"I am sorry." He cut in as he scratched the back of his head.

Kat just shook her head. Over all he seemed like a genuinely nice guy compared to the guy who seemed to be his friend. Kat moved past Reid and out the front door. She didn't look back. Why bother? It was pointless. At this point she was ready to give up. Sure, she got into college and that still surprised her. Finding a place to live was even more difficult. _Screw this. I don't need it. It's not mandatory that I go to college. So what if you 'graduated' at seventeen. You don't turn eighteen till June. People would look at you like you're just some kid. A kid that had nothing better to do than school._

"Kat wait!"

It was Caleb. She stopped at the end of the block while she just twirled her keys in her hand. He stopped beside her.

"You said you could cover double rent?" he asked

_Okay, hold on here. if anything he and his friend don't look like they're poor. They have a flat screen for example not to mention I did see that beautiful silver car in the driveway. But was this his way of saying that I could live there? If so I wasn't standing in the way. I'd pay double for it._

Kat only nodded. She was looking at her keys as if bored. In actuality she just didn't want her disappointment to be so obvious.

"Okay." He said

"Okay?" she asked

She looked at him now.

"Yeah."

Kat tried to analyze it, but then quit as she felt a headache coming on. Then she turned and started walking across the street.

"Where are you going?" he called

She turned around so that she was walking backwards.

"Getting my car. It happens to be carrying all that I own at the moment." she said

Caleb watched her walk off; her hair swaying behind her in a ponytail. He didn't ask what she had done. That left her even happier. She wouldn't know what lie she could come up with if he had. The only thing she knew right now was that she was moving into a house with two guys and classes started tomorrow.

"Fucking college." She muttered


	2. The Room

She pulled up to the side of the gothic house in her black but whit pinstriped 1969 camero. Reid stood outside watching as Caleb brought boxes into the house. Kat turned off the ignition and popped the trunk. Getting out she walked back to the trunk and pulled out a book bag and a duffle bag then closed it.

"That's all you brought?" Reid asked in a sarcastic manner.

"I'm sorry that I don't carry and excessive amount of junk like you do." She said as she walked past him into the house.

He yelled something to her as she started up the stairs, but she didn't hear him. She'd already started the part of her relationship with him that included ignoring whatever came out of his mouth. She walked down the hallway where there were five doors. She stopped at the first one on the left and looked in. It was pretty big, but it looked to dark for her liking. The walls were a dark navy blue. She walked across the wall to the room across the hall. The room already had a few things in there to say that someone had claimed this room, but as Kat had noticed that this room had two other doors in it, one was a closet, and the other led to a personal bathroom she decided that this was her room. Not to mention the red glow the walls gave off. She didn't care who else had claimed it. As a matter of fact of she grabbed the few boxes that sat in there and sat them out in the hall.

An hour later as she finished unpacking yells came from outside in the hall. She just rolled her eyes.

"No, get the hell out of this room." Reid said coming into the room.

Kat just finished putting something away and looked at him.

"Did you not hear me when I said that this was my room?"

"Oh," she said as if just remembering "No actually, I was ignoring you."

Reid's face flushed red in anger and Kat just stared at him blankly.

"I already put my stuff in here." he growled

"Hence I set it outside." She said

He let out a frustrated and annoyed noise that she had to stifle back a laugh. He wasn't as amused as she was. Kat turned and walked over to her desk that satin the corner about three feet from the door and sat down at the laptop that sat there. She started typing and Reid hadn't moved. He was trying to figure out what to say that would get under her skin the way she had done to him so easily. She hadn't even lived her that long. Maybe there were ways to be persuasive.

"Feel free to leave." Kat said arrogantly without looking at him

Her fingers typing away on the keyboard echoed in his head. He walked out, but not without looking at her one more time; a smirk playing his lips.

"Fine, you want to be like that. There are a few ways I can wind you down." He mumbled

As he made his was down the stairs he was shoved to the side. He gripped the banister and looked up and down the stairs multiple times. There was nothing there, but it was like something pushed him hard to the side as if trying to get past, but in a way that was to encourage a fight. Reid brushed it off or at least tried. Making it back downstairs he saw Caleb lugging in the last box.

"Yeah, thanks for the help." Caleb panted

"You know me. I more of an overseer rather than the help itself. Call it management." Reid shrugged

"Stay away from her Reid." Caleb said

"Hey I didn't even do anything."

"Did you not think I didn't hear the conversation between you two? There are very good reasons for her being here."

"Good then explain, because I would love to kick her ass to the curb. She's a real bitch." Reid said

"I heard that you prick!" Kat's shouts echoed down the room

Reid growled under his breath while Caleb chuckled.

"One, she doesn't like you, so that means you two can't screw around. She won't even give you the time of day. Two, it'll keep you under control from using."

Reid glared at him, but kept his silence. He didn't like it when Caleb talked about how much he used. It wasn't his business.

"She is what's going to keep you on a leash."

"That's worse than dating being there's no benefits from this." Reid grumbled

Caleb smirked and shrugged.

"Get over it." he said flatly "There are plenty of other women out there that are waiting for the likes of you."

"Good point Cale. I'll see you later." Reid said as he walked out

"Reid! You have to-" Reid was gone before he could finish "Son of a bitch."

"He finally gone?" Kat's voice inquired as she stood halfway up the stairs.

"Yeah." Caleb replied

Kat let out a sigh of relief. Then she moved over and started unpacking a box. Caleb watched as she did then started unpacking another one. Conversation went a lot smoother with Caleb than it did with Reid.

"So…why'd you change your mind? I mean after all I'm a criminal." Kat said

"Reid doesn't like you." Caleb said plainly

Kat scoffed and sat back on the plush couch nearby.

"I mean…" he tried to fix his wording

"It's fine. I mean he's out to get to anything that walks on two legs." Kat said

Caleb chuckled.

"What about you?" she asked

"My girlfriend is at Harvard so there's nothing to worry about." He said

"Why aren't you there?" she asked

"Got accepted here. Sure, I wanted to go, but one thing led to another, and I just decided to go here."

Kat looked at him a little confused.

"You turned down and ivy league school…" she trailed off

"It's complicated." He chuckled

Kat didn't try to dissect it. It was pointless to try. As she sat there she felt something cold wash over her. It was sudden and her breath was sharp on the outtake. Caleb looked at her and saw how pale she'd gotten suddenly.

"Kat? Are you okay? You look sick." He asked as he sat beside her.

He took hold of her wrist. It was frigid to the bone. She looked like she wasn't even breathing. In the next instant cold returned to her skin and she warmed up. For a second she just blinked lookin gat nothing in particular.

"You okay?" Caleb asked startling her

"What? Yeah I'm fine why wouldn't I be?" she said

"You turned white like you were ghost white." He aid

"I'm fine really. It was just a cold spot."

Kat got up and moved to the kitchen where Caleb could hear her unpacking dishes. After a few seconds he just shook off the other questions he wanted to pester her with and followed suit. They'd finished unpacking a few hours later and ordered in pizza. Reid on the other hand didn't show up till about four in the morning when he came busting into Kat's room where she sat on her laptop conversing with an older woman on webcam while Three Days Grace played on her stereo on the other side of the room.

"What afraid of introducing who you're living with?" he slurred at her

"You've got to be kidding me," Kat mumbled looking at him in complete and utter shock with a side of stupidity "you're drunk."

"Maybe." He said holding out his with his fingers pinching closely together trying to say only a little bit.

"You need to go to bed." Kat said as she stood seeing him move towards her bed.

"It's my room, but I won't stop you if you want to help." He chuckled

"Sure." She said as she pulled him away from the bed and towards the door. She moved him out the door then shut it in his face and locked it.


	3. Qwerty

**Here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy.**

Kat was gone for her classes before any of the others woke up. She imagined that it must be nice to be able to sleep in. She'd walked along the sidewalk to the campus being it wasn't far. She took her time being she'd gotten up about two hours before her class. It never took long to get ready to go somewhere. Plus, it was a class so there was no reason to even try to look nice. She'd thought about going in her pajamas, but decided against it.

"Well, look who it is."

Kat looked up from the sidewalk only to see Reid walking by. His hair was dripping wet; beads of water dripped from the tips and down his temple. _Okay, I guess I'm not the only one up this early. Was he on the swim team?_ Kat dismissed the though and just waved and kept walking. He paused momentarily thinking about apologizing for the way he acted last night, but decided not to. She didn't look like the type for the whole apologize thing. She was the kind to just let it go and forget and that's exactly how it looked.

Her eyes met the sidewalk yet again. Today was going to be a long day. The first day was always the longest. There were only three classes today though. She had three classes on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday while she had two on Tuesday and Thursday. She couldn't complain with a schedule like that. It was better than the previous she had. It was good not to be staring at three walls and bars.

She'd settled into her first class in a seat near the back in the center. As the professor started a girl came rushing and froze slightly as everyone looked at her awkwardly. Her burgundy hair was a complete mess as if she'd woken up not long ago. Kat waved towards her offering her the seat beside her so she didn't have to stand there any longer. As soon as she sat down beside Kat she put her hair up into a ponytail.

"Thanks." She said

Kat just nodded.

"I'm Qwerty by the way." She said

Kat looked at her awkwardly. _Who the hell names their kid Qwerty?_

"I know it's a stupid name. Trust I asked my parents over and over why they'd name me that." She chuckled to the look on Kat's face. Kat cracked a smile and held out her hand.

"Kat." She said plainly

Qwerty took her hand and shook it. It felt like kindergarten again where you meet someone and you know you're going to be good friends. It was something Kat didn't want to jeopardize either. It sounded strange, but even though she lived with two other guys she didn't feel so sure they were friends yet. With Reid she was definitely sure that she wasn't friends with him. If anything he'd be the person she'd love to hate. She half wondered if he felt the same way then shrugged it off.

The day drug on and went surprisingly well. Both Kat and Qwerty ate lunch together and got to know each other. Found out each other's majors and talked about home. Well, Qwerty talked about her home. Kat didn't have much to say about hers. In fact she didn't talk about it at all. She let Qwerty do all the talking being she seemed to enjoy it. The rest of her classes that day went smoothly. She didn't see her roommates till she got back to the house after her last class. Qwerty had come with her, and she was flabbergasted.

"You live here?" Qwerty said

"Yeah." Kat said dropping her bag on the couch and moving for the kitchen.

"People all over campus were wondering who moved in here." she said with what sound like slight wonder mixed with curiosity.

"Kat that you?" Caleb called

"Yup." She said as she entered the kitchen where he was making food for himself.

Qwerty poked her head in behind her. Caleb just smiled at them both.

"How were classes?" he asked

"I found a stray." Kat said gesturing at Qwerty

Qwerty looked at Kat with wide eyes then hit her in the arm as her cheeks turned redish. Kat could tell that Qwerty was definitely taking in all that Caleb was. She'd gotten her fill too when she first saw him the day before.

"You hungry?" he asked

"Eh, a little." Kat shrugged "I'm more tired."

With that Kat moved out of the kitchen with the full decision to watch tv. Both her and Qwerty sat back on the black plush couch. Caleb followed not long after to join them. Snatching up the remote Kat turned on the tv. Above the tv on a shelf there were a few trophies._ So I'm not completely wrong. They are swimmers._

"So you swim?" she asked being the silence was a bit disturbing.

"I did yeah. Reid still does for the team here." Caleb replied casually

Kat could tell that Qwerty was now picturing it all in her head while trying to watch tv.

"Why'd you quit?" Kat asked

"I just didn't feel like doing it anymore. It was a high school thing I guess."

He actually contemplated it for a second.

"Hm." Kat said

After a while Qwerty Got up and left for dinner. She said she'd be back to hang out and what not.

"I cannot believe you live with two guys." Qwerty said as Kat walked her out.

"Trust me. It's not that great. One of them is a real asshole." Kat said

"Oh I love you to sweetheart." Reid said sarcastically as he walked up the porch steps. He paused momentarily in front of them as if he were getting ready to introduce himself.

"Don't even." Kat said before he could

"Bite me." He said with a glare

"You'd love that." She snorted

Qwerty with raised eyebrows and tried not to laugh. After a few more snarky comments they both looked at her.

"Don't stop on my account. You can't by this kind of comedy." She said

Kat rolled her eyes and turned her back on Reid and face Kat.

"See ya Wednesday." Kat said

Qwerty waved them both off as she walked off down the sidewalk. Kat walked inside past Reid and sat back down on the couch. Caleb had left. Reid plopped down beside her and snatched the remote that she'd moved to pick up. He'd sat back so his feet were propped up on the coffee table. Kat stood and stepped over him and headed for the stairs.

"Awe, don't want to spend time with me?" he asked

Kat looked back at him. Sure, she had several things that were rude that she could say to him. instead she just smirked and walked upstairs. She got onto her laptop and noticed Tera online. She clicked the button to connect with her and waited.

"I am so sorry." Kat said as the window popped up with Tera's elderly face looking at her "I just didn't want them to ask questions."

"It's fine. I understand. You need to be able to adjust in the environment. It'll take time. I just want you to do well Kat." She said

Kat's heart warmed. She didn't not want to disappoint her. She was just about all she had at the moment.

"Now go on and be a college student." She said then ended the video chat. It was a short chat which left Kat feeling utterly…lost. What did college students do anyway?

Kat's phone buzzed off as if it were on cue. Opening it she laughed or rather snorted.

**To:Kat**

**From:QWERTY**

**Hey, I know I left not that long ago. You wanna hang, there's a place you gotta check out.**

**To:QWERTY**

**From:Kat**

**Sure, I need to find things to do on my spare time.**

**To:Kat**

**From:QWERTY**

**Good! It's called The Back Alley. See you there.**

Kat closed her phone and tucked it back in her pocket. Reid stood over her shoulder. She knew he'd been reading her texts. He was too close for comfort, and she just pressed him back a few feet.

"Going out?" Reid said inquisitive even though he already knew.

"Yup." She said as she made her way up the stairs

"You don't have to change to go out." He pointed out

"I would like to grab my car keys." She said

"Nah, come on." he said gesturing for the door.

Kat gave him a surprised look.

"Let's go or I'm leaving your ass here." he said

Kat walked out past him shivering slightly from what felt like a breeze of some sort to what she imagined to be his car. He got in on the driver's side while she jumped in on the other side. She buckled up quietly as he started the car. She just looked out the window. After a few minutes she reached for radio and turned it on. The silence in the car was awkward.

"Hey don't play with my radio." Reid complained

Kat did the whole ignoring thing and kept fiddling with it till she stopped on a station playing Savin Me by Nickleback. Reid didn't say anything. She mouthed the words to herself and Reid glanced over at her. She looked tired.

"Classes busy today?" he asked

"I slept through them." She replied

Reid smirked.

"It's not like they were actually teaching anything." She added

"You don't like me do you?" he said

"You tried to make sure I didn't move in…" she trailed off

"Right." He said as if just remembering "It's not like I don't like you."

Kat didn't look at him. To be honest she didn't care if h liked her or not. Caleb was more like the lead of the house. It was with him that she had to have good graces.

"I don't care." She said plainly

It wasn't a complete lie. She didn't care. He was the type of guy to be all over every girl and that just didn't take up any interest in her in any way. To her he was just an acquaintance and nothing more. Reid looked at her somewhat disappointed. A girl who didn't care. It was strange. She didn't even vie for his attention. She tried to get away from it. It made him want to have it so much more. The car ride was quiet with him stealing glances at her hoping it would help him figure her out. She was small in height maybe five four if that. Her hair was normally up in some way to keep it out of her face. She looked somewhat angry when she was thinking too and she must've been thinking about something right now. Her eyes seemed to hold something as well. Something she wanted to keep hidden. Reid only knew that, because he had secrets of his own. Everyone had secrets it was no crime. Was it?

He'd only known her for about two days and yet he seemed to know a lot. He pulled up to The Back Alley. As soon as he did she got out. She didn't even wait for him to turn off the car. It was funny really. It was as if he were the last person she wanted to be seen with.

"Thanks for the ride." She said as she rushed off towards the entrance where Qwerty was watching.

Kat and her went inside. Weezer was playing loudly throughout the place.

"He was totally checking your ass out earlier by the way." Qwerty said

Kat had barely heard anything she said due to the music so she just shrugged. It probably wasn't that important. Qwerty steered her towards a sitting area past a set of stairs that led up to a balcony that sat over the place. They sat on a couch which happened to be near the bar as well.

She took notice of the fact that there were pool tables near the back. She'd never played, but the thought intrigued her.

"You want anything to drink?" Qwerty asked

"Not particularly." Kat said actually contemplating it.

Qwerty snorted at the look on her, which made Kat laugh. It felt good to get out. She'd felt trapped for so long.

Reid had walked in not long after her and found himself moving towards the pool tables near the back. It wasn't just the fact that he was god at the sport that had drawn him back nor was it just the fact that he'd have new suckers to hustle. It was the fact that he saw Caleb at one of them playing against someone he didn't recognize. He could care less about the person he was placing it was that Caleb never played pool. Not really.

"Taking up a new hobby Cale?" he asked as he grabbed a pool stick.

Caleb only smirked as he shot the eight ball into the corner pocket. The guy he'd been playing against just looked dumbfounded. He handed over fifty bucks and walked away mumbling what bullshit it was.

"Maybe." Caleb said stuffing the bill in his pocket "But you see? I don't need to use to win."

Reid felt the strong need to punch him there for bringing it up. He really needed to learn how to let shit go.


	4. Caught In The Act

**Thank you for the alerts and reveiws. I hope you like the chapter. I'll let you get to it and once you hit the bottom click the reveiw button:)**

Kat had found out that week that with the two classes she had on Tuesday Caleb was in her first one and Reid was in her second one. They both had decided to sit right beside her and it drew a few eyes in their direction._ This is not exactly what I expected._ She felt a sense of nervousness from all the eyes. The whispers drove her insane. Class with Reid though was….how could she put this…horrid. One, he'd decided to sit right by her to get under her skin no less, two, if he wasn't making smartass comments in which he didn't seem to think about before speaking he eye fucking other chicks in the room. Kat sat at the edge of her seat trying desperately to pay attention even though the professor was only going over what they would be doing during the semester.

"Isn't it great that we have the same class?" Reid said with plenty of sarcasm as he followed Kat from the class. He eyed a blonde in a mini skirt and tank top as she walked past. It was clear that she was dressed like that for the attention, sexual attention anyways.

Kat only shrugged. She just wanted to get to point B from point A, which was to get to Qwerty who was at the local café on campus. Reid seemed to be following in step though.

"Why are you following me?" she asked stopping abruptly

"Let's see…" he trailed off "I am going to the pool for swim practice."

Kat looked around and notice the phys ed. Building wasn't far from where they were.

"Why would I follow you anyhow? You don't hold that much intrigue." He smirked

He brushed past her chuckling. Kat could feel her cheeks reddening. In an instant before she even thought it fully through, she took off her flip flop and threw it at him. It hit him on his shoulder. He made a ducking gesture after being hit and looked back at her. Kat just wiggled her eyebrows with such attitude that said asshole. Reid looked at her long and hard then picked up her shoe. For a split second she thought he'd throw it back at her, but then he just stuffed it in his bag and continued on walking.

"Reid!" she yelled

He just waved her off grinning as he did so.

* * *

><p>Qwerty looked at Kat as she walked in the café with only one shoe on.<p>

"Did you lose one?" she asked trying to laugh.

"Not exactly." Kat said

Sure, it was partially her fault. Okay it was completely her fault; she did throw it at him.

"So how did class go then?" she asked

Kat glared at Qwerty. _That's a dumbass question._

"Right." She laughed

The two talked like they were best friends. There were several things they talked about. Dinner had past and they grabbed something from the menu. Kat liked it a lot. She could only think one other person that could even think about coming close to this new friendship. Qwerty's eye were always right. Maybe she was thankful not to be alone when just starting out. Kat was pretty thankful as well.

"And here comes Reid." She said

_The two are on first name basis? _Kat turned in her seat as he made his way over. He nodded lightly in acknowledgement and took the seat to the left.

"What are two up to?"

"Girl things. You know talking about periods and such." Kat said

Reid nudged her nearly knocking her out of her seat. Qwerty started laughing hysterically. It was only the second day and she knew where to go if in need of entertainment. Kat was laughing as well.

"Seriously." He said

"Nothing important."

"So it's not about me?" he said as wiggled his eyebrows at them

"No absolutely not. Well, except that you took my shoe." Kat said flatly

"You threw it at me so I took it as a gift." He said

Kat snorted at him. _Yeah, whatever. _Reid just bugged her. He seemed like the type who got anything he wanted like a spoiled brat.

Kat bugged him. She seemed like she was all high and mighty. He bet that if she knew why she'd really moved in she'd run away. Reid actually contemplated telling her so that she would leave. Her screaming made him laugh then again it depended on what she was screaming for…it still made him laugh inside. Breaking his train of thought his phone vibrated.

"What Caleb?" Reid said into the phone

Kat and Qwerty ignored him not that they even paid attention to him before that. Caleb was ranting in his ear.

"Yeah, I got it." Reid said irritatedly "I'm on my way."

He hit the end button before Caleb could continue.

"Sorry ladies you'll have do without my presence." He said as he stood

"We were fine before your presence." Kat said

Reid swatted her on the back of her head. She gave him a death glare now. He didn't seem intimidated in the least.

"Has it really come to that?" she asked darkly

"Maybe. Then again I'm all for kinky foreplay." he said

Kat didn't have a comeback for that. There just didn't seem to be one that fit. Reid smirked as he walked out knowing that she just couldn't find any words to something like that. He could also feel her judgmental eyes on him. If she really did know him at all she'd know that he'd never really dated. Hell, he'd never even really screwed around. Sure, there were a few, but that was when he thought he could try to be serious with those girls and it ended up with him breaking their hearts. However, there were no rules against flirting. He did plenty of that to let any and every girl know what they were missing out on. Every girl except his housemate.

* * *

><p>After about nearly an hour Kat and Qwerty split and headed back to their own quarters. As Kat came up to the house she looked at more intensely. It looked like an old frat house. She trotted up the porch steps and through the front door. She moved to go to the living, but was stopped by the blackness of the entire house.<p>

"Well, this isn't creepy."

As Kat made her way through the house she ran smack into a door. It was really a door. If it was she would've seen it clearly in the past few days. It was a secret hatch that opened up into another room. Kat rubbed her head a little from having run into the door. _Ow._

She kept quiet being she wasn't entirely sure what the hell was going on. It was like a haunted house and it felt like it too. Kat started feeling cold as she started to walk into the hidden room of the house. Overall she should've figured that there'd be one. The house was gothic and large and it screamed creepy…sort of. She still kept walking and came to a set of spiral stairs. Not only that, but she could feel something else…it was scary like someone was near her or watching her. _Yes, let's go down the creepy stairs. It's not like that isn't in the rules of horror movies._

The weird coldness stuck with her as she crept down the stairs. A slight glow was emanating as she went further down. When she made to the bottom she froze. Caleb and Reid sat across from each other with a book on a stool in between them. Candles lit the room making the situation all the more awkward for her. _What the hell are they into? _

Both Reid and Caleb's heads shot up and looked at her. They had the same look that was on her face. _Oh shit. _For what felt like several minutes when in actuality it was only seconds they just stayed where they were as if afraid to move. Then all of the sudden Kat scoffed into a laugh. _I knew there had to be some flaw to them._ Caleb and Reid looked at her with even bigger eyes. Was there something they didn't and she did?

"Wow, I knew that there had to be something." She said trying to breathe

Then after her laughter died down she continued. Reid had his fists clenched thinking that she might know something she wasn't letting on. It would be like the Chase incident all over again. The name made his skin crawled. Caleb's jaw clenched unsure of what to make of the intrusion by his housemate. They'd been caught.

"It's just too funny is all. You two into the whole occult thing." She still struggled not to laugh "Just don't volunteer me for being the sacrificial lamb."

Kat turned and walked out on catching them down there. She didn't know what they were really discussing. If anything she was completely oblivious. Both men just stared after her.

"That was close." Reid said

"Too close…and now she thinks we're freaks." Caleb said

As the two continued went to continue their discussion with the book of damnation in between them a scream reached out through the entire house. A young woman's scream, Kat's scream.


	5. And Then There Are Four

Both Reid and Caleb were up the stairs in a heartbeat. Kat was on the floor with her knees to her chest rocking back and forth. Caleb inched slowly towards her. She was staring directly at the wall and she wasn't the only one. Reid looked at it alarmed.

Caleb moved to pick up her frozen form.

"She's cold." He said

Reid looked away barely from the wall and at Caleb who was picking up Kat. He looked back at the wall as he carried her upstairs. The wall was leaking something, not really leaking, but…

"It's bleeding." Reid murmured

He walked up to it and touched it. What was doing this? Even more what was the thing trying to talk to her?

**It isn't safe Kat.**

Those were the words on the wall. Now they were just smearing together. What wasn't safe? Them?

Reid made his way up the stairs where he could hear Caleb talking quietly to Kat. She wasn't really saying anything except that she was tired. She wouldn't talk about what she saw on the wall. She was shivering and he could see the goose bumps. Caleb laid her down in her bed then turned out the lights. He closed the door quietly and for several moments both young men just stood there.

"Why the hell did you buy this place again?"Reid asked sarcastically

"It was cheap." Caleb said pinching the bridge of his nose.

"And you didn't care to ask about anything weird having happened here?" Reid asked

Caleb who was hanging his head looked up at Reid and glared.

"It's a house. I didn't think there would be a problem."

"Do you not know who we are or where we're from? How could you not think about it?" Reid snorted

Caleb huffed and Reid kept nagging and brushed past him towards the stairs. As he did he felt a sudden cold rush. There was no wind though. The heat was up to nearly eighty degrees throughout the house. Caleb paused and looked back. Reid gave him a confused look. Caleb just reached his hand out and waved it through the air. Reid just raised his eyebrows as Caleb did.

"Okay," he mumbled to himself "Looks like there are a few things that need to be worked out."

Caleb walked downstairs and Reid followed. He was quite intrigued in finding out what his best friend was up to. Caleb was standing in front of the wall when he got down stairs. The wall was clean. There was no blood like before.

"Alright. You're going to leave her alone." Caleb said out loud

"Dude, I didn't do anything." Reid said

"Not you moron."

Across the room the trophies above the tv fell to the floor and the open door down to the cellar slammed shut. Reid went on full alert and his eyes flashed blacker than a dark abyss. It was an abyss all on their own. Caleb's eyes had turned black as well. It was a defense mechanism.

"What are you? Show yourself." Caleb growled

The bookshelf near the couch shook a little and a book fell. It was one of Tyler's old books that Reid had taken for no particular reason. It was just something he could use for fun. It was about ghosts. It wasn't as if he actually thought about dead people.

The book flipped through pages fast until it stopped on one. There was a picture of an Ouija board on page with the word 'limbo' on the other. In an instant Reid scoffed. When he did the book flew at him and hit him in the chest. He held it to his chest before it could fall. It was hard to believe and not believe that this place was actually haunted. There was a living, well not 'living, but a ghost was actually in this house.

"What do you want? Shouldn't you do that whole moving on thing?"

The hair on Reid's arm stood on edge now. The wall that had bled not too long ago started to seep blood again.

**Hard.**

"That says so much." Reid said rolling his eyes.

"Why the hell are you scaring off our housemate?" Caleb asked

The blood on the wall moved around on it and formed different words now.

**Because of you.**

Then.

**Dangerous.**

"We aren't going to hurt her." Reid said "Why would we?"

**I know what you are.**

Reid sighed and moved to sit over on the couch. Beside him he felt a cold spot and the couch shifted only in the slightest as if someone sat beside him but was a featherweight. It was hard enough making heads or tails of this, but now it just got ridiculous. This thing was slamming things around and scaring her.

"You have to stop. She'll find out." Caleb said "There is not one single intention to harm her."

The room was quiet. Caleb knew that she shouldn't even be living there. He didn't want to turn her away though. It didn't matter the reasons of her troubles. She'd come there and in an awkward sense it was like she had to be there. There was a purpose for it.

"Can I go to sleep now?" Reid complained

Caleb waved him off. Reid took that as his cue and got up. Then suddenly it felt a sudden push past him like he had a few days before. He took into realization that it was him. _Or is it a her?_

"Hey what are you exactly? An it?" Reid smarted off

Caleb was curious himself.

**Guy, dude.**

Reid smirked knowing that it was sarcasm.

"Well, I guess there are four people living up in here. It's a full house Cale." Reid said "An oblivious normal girl, two warlocks, and a ghost."

_It's tragic._ Reid laughed disheartedly about it. _ How long would it be till she found out anyway? If there's a ghost then she's bound to stumble on us. _Reid looked right at her door before going into his own room which was directly across from hers. He wondered how she'd take it. _Maybe she would take it like Sarah did. Why's it important anyway. She finds out and she's gone. Hopeful thoughts. _Reid fell back onto his bed without bothering to undress any. He couldn't remember the last time he'd thought so much. Maybe it was just because tonight could've been so much worse. How would the morning go? Would she act like she had dreamt it all? Maybe she would dig deeper. For a moment Reid hoped she would. It was a big secret to keep that you were a warlock. A warlock that aged from using the power he had. It was such a damn burden. Then again if she knew their secret he'd dig into hers. He knew she had her own secrets and that's why she wasn't digging into theirs. At least that's why he thought she wasn't getting to curious. He let a deep exhale escape. There was nothing that could be done tonight.

In the room across the way Kat lay there awake. She didn't actually fall asleep when they left. In actuality she'd heard the talking from downstairs. She didn't understand half of it, but she heard it. a whisper through the dark room got her to bolt up in bed. She looked around and saw nothing.

"This isn't funny." Kat whispered harshly

For some reason she thought it was Reid trying to scare her. He seemed like the kind of person who would do that to get a rise out of someone. The curtains covering window on the left side of the room fluttered. Kat flung back the covers and jumped to her feet. The hard wood floor was chilled on her feet. Her heart raced in her chest as if trying to run away while she was firmly planted in that spot.

"I'm not afraid." She called out as if it would help.

Her fists clenched tightly turning her knuckles white. She gulped hard and looked around the room. It was only her or so she was trying to convince herself.

"Just go away." She said

The papers on her desk next to her laptop fluttered though. It wasn't enough to make them fall off the table but enough to catch her attention.

"What do you want from me?" she said nearly crying now.

Was this her payback for what she'd done? She thought what she did was justified. She'd never take it back. Her knees gave out underneath her and she fell to the floor crying. A sudden coldness surrounded her as if hugging her and she shivered. It was like she was being hugged by a cold cocoon. It just held her and eventually she found herself getting up as if it were a mechanical movement. She laid down, but didn't bother with the covers. They pulled up on their own. She cried harder. The realization that something was there with her scared her. She couldn't see it. She didn't know if it would want to hurt her. She never contemplated things like this because it just never occurred to her. Now, her whole body hurt from trying to think about it and comprehend it. For the whole night she just laid there awake. Everything felt paralyzed even though she could feel everything. She'd jump from the slightest movement.

The room got lighter and lighter. When her alarm went off she hit the button. She got up and moved for her closet. When she'd picked out something to wear which was only a pair of sweats she stopped. she looked around briefly.

"If you're still in here get the hell out." she snarled

She was now cranky with a headache from the long night. She got dressed quickly and grabbed her book bag while escaping her room. Reid saw her coming down the stairs. She didn't stop in the kitchen to grab breakfast and chitchat like she'd become accustomed to with Caleb. She didn't even give Reid a sarcastic remark. Usually she had something, but there was nothing because she was out the door quickly. She didn't even take recognition of him.

Kat sped walked down to her car and got in. For a few minutes she just sat there with her hand resting on the steering wheel. She could leave. She could go and forget about it all. _Where would I go?_ Looking up through the windshield she saw Reid standing in the doorway of the front door. Kat started her car and pulled out. _Anywhere._

The only place she ended up going was right to class. Qwerty was already preserving a seat for her. she sat down quietly and pulled out her notebook ready for notes.

"You look like shit." Qwerty said bluntly

"Thanks." Kat said quietly not really getting the insult "I haven't slept yet."

"That'll do it." she said

"I'm glad it's Friday." Kat muttered

Getting out and forgetting about last night sounded real good.

"Any parties tonight?" Kat asked

Qwerty smiled which made Kat smile. _Letting loose, that was the normal thing to do._ Throughout the day Kat slowly forgot about what she'd witnessed the night before. By the time she pulled up to the house with Qwerty in the passenger seat. It came back all over again in flashes. It wasn't just the…_ghost, I can't believe I actually think it's a ghost. There is no other explanation. What makes it so bad anyhow? I have to get over it._

Kat shivered a little and followed in pursuit of Qwerty. Qwerty walked in like she owned the place and it made Kat laugh. The girl walked in like nothing bothered her. Kat got a feeling she would be here often. They both made their way upstairs to chill out in Kat's room. Qwerty paused in front of the door across from Kat's. She gave Kat a questioning look.

"Reid's room." Kat said

A mischievous grin spread across her face.

"No." Kat said flatly

Her grin turned quickly into a pout. Kat gestured towards her own room.

"So there are four rooms. Who lives in the fourth?" Qwerty asked as she flung herself back on Kat's bed.

Kat just looked around the room hoping that whatever was lurking in the house wouldn't do anything. _ Please don't scare her off. She's my only friend right now._ Throughout their entire study/hang out session nothing happened. The curtains didn't move abnormally and there was no creepy cold spot in the room ever. When Qwerty had left Kat turned before leaving her room.

"Thank you." She whispered

She felt something of what she imagined to be a touch on her arm. It still made her freeze on the inside.

"Is it your room that hasn't been filled?" she blurted out

She was exactly sure where to look being she couldn't see the thing she was talking to. It was just suddenly since she didn't feel quite as afraid as she had she wanted to ask questions. The wall she'd looked at started seeping something. It looked like blood.

**Yes.**

"Hm." She said a little shaken on how he responded "You're not going anywhere?"

The blood moved on the wall to form another word.

**No.**

Kat smiled only slightly.

"Cool. I was hoping…I don't know what I was hoping. Just don't try to kill me. I'm having a hard enough time as it is." She said "Who are you anyway? I kinda don't know what to call you."

**Ryan.**

Kat nodded taking in the name as if she'd heard the words herself. Then she turned and walked out. She could hear arguing downstairs which told her that Reid was home. Home. Was that was this place was to her now?

**Do review please. They do help keep this story going and I'm wondering if I should even continue. I hope you enjoyed the chapter.**


	6. Affection? Not Likely

"What are we doing here again?" Qwerty asked as she was observing tarot cards opposite the shelf Kat was looking at.

"I'm trying out a project is all." Kat said as she looked at the different Ouija boards.

There so many different ones. _Which one is right? Does it even matter?_ She wished she knew which was the best to use. It's make it easier and less creepy when she'd try to talk to Ryan. She couldn't tell Qwerty that though. After huffing from not knowing what was right Kat just picked up one that was wooden and had the letters engraved. It had a plastic piece that you moved across it. Going to the checkout she saw Qwerty add a necklace to the items. Kat looked over at Qwerty.

"What? It would look adorable on you." she said "Plus, Halloween is coming up."

Kat rolled her eyes and took the bag that her purchased items were in. Her and Qwerty split when they reached the goth house. That's what Kat called it now. She'd caught on that Caleb started calling it that too. When she got inside she went upstairs. Caleb who was sitting there watching a football game watched go up with determination. His eyebrows rose and he was curious enough to follow her. Kat had left her door open and was unwrapping the plastic around the board.

"You're kidding right?"

Kat looked up at him blankly as she sat there on the floor.

"No?" she said uncertain

She shrugged and went back to what she was doing. Then after having it sit there in front of her for a few seconds she paused. _How the hell do you work this thing?_ Then after a few seconds the pointer moved making both Kat and Caleb jump.

**About time.**

Kat laughed and Caleb looked at her as if she were demented. _Was she so comfortable about it suddenly? Why? The guy is an invader in our house. She needs to be careful. Then again I shouldn't even be letting her live here. Maybe if she gets used to this we can tell her._ Caleb shoved that last thought away very quickly. There was no way he was telling her and if Reid knew what was good for him he wouldn't say a damn word either.

"Well, I wasn't sure which board to get. There five different ones. You can't bleed the walls now." Kat laughed

The pointer moved again. Caleb watched as the two had a conversation.

"Should we be worried?" Caleb asked cutting in

Kat didn't realize he was still here in her room.

**No. I lived here before you. I was just murdered and been stuck here since. Just chill man.**

Caleb chuckled.

**It's not like I can actually do any physical damage anyway.**

Caleb nodded.

"Alright." Caleb said

The three of them just sat there and talked. Questions kept getting shot at Ryan and he answered them. Then Reid walked in and made himself unwelcome as he always did. When Kat went to yell at him a book actually flew at Reid and hit him upside the head.

"Thank you." Kat said to Ryan

"Ryan?" Reid said "You named it?"

Another book flew at him.

"Stop hitting me!" he yelled

Kat was getting hysterical now. Caleb watched in amusement and Reid was furious. He grabbed a hold of Kat and flung her over his shoulder.

"Reid! Put me down!" she squealed

Reid walked her over to the bed and flung her down. He was laughing now.

"This is a familiar spot." He said as he lounged on top of her

She tried pushing him off, but he didn't budge very much. He had his limbs spread all over the bed.

"Reid!" she exclaimed

"But you're so comfortable." She groaned as he turned over and was now hugging to her with a stupid grin

"Reid!" she laughed

Then Caleb came over and when she thought he was going to help her he laid down as well.

"Caleb! You're supposed to help me!" she laughed

"But you're comfy." He whined

Kat huffed and attempted to cross her arms over her chest which failed. Both of the young me laughed and Kat just scrunched her nose.

"You know we love you." Caleb grumbled

Kat's smile faded._ You wouldn't if you knew what I've done._

"I'm hungry." Reid mumbled next as the three of them just laid there.

"Me too." Kat said feeling distant now.

"Then it's settled. Caleb you're ordering pizza." Reid said as he sat up and got up. Kat followed right behind him out the door and agreed. Caleb laid there with a stunned look on his face.

After a few minutes he got up and headed for the exit then turned and looked at her room. He liked Kat. He noticed something though. Sometimes she would like she was too deep in thought. As if something was bothering her. He didn't ask though. It wasn't his place. A person had a right to secrets.

He closed the door behind him and went downstairs where Reid and Kat were already arguing about what toppings had to be on the pizza. The next four years would be fun. They would also be challenging.

* * *

><p>The weekend ended with both Reid and Kat getting hung-over and Caleb having gone to see Sarah; his girlfriend. Kat lounged in her room all day and was talking to Tera via webcam.<p>

"I'm fine. My roommates are a pain."

"Even the blonde one?" she questioned

"Especially him."

"Here I thought you two would have an incredible connection." Tera said

"Oh no. We have a strong disliking I imagine." Kat said "I did meet someone new though. His name is Ryan."

"Oh?"

"He's cool to talk to. I don't see him around much though." Kat said nearly snickering at her own pun.

A cold chill brushed across her back telling her that he was around. She looked over at the board which she kept on her desk now. The pointer was moving.

**How was your day?**

She waved him off as she looked back at Tera.

"I haven't told them anything though."

Tera sighed.

"I can't. I just can't." Kat said "They'd look at me differently."

"It's your choice sweetpea." Tera said

Kat nodded. She heard the front door downstairs open and knew Reid was home from practice. A few minutes later she heard pounding on her door. It was routine she guessed.

"Hey, I know you're alive in there."

"No you don't." Kat called

She got up and moved over to her bed. Her and Tera's long conversation was still roaming through her mind. Instead of even lying back on her bed she ended up pacing.

"You'll wear footprints into the floor that way."

Kat looked at Reid who'd taken it upon himself to open the door and watch her.

"Shouldn't you be out doing something productive?" she asked

"Productive?" he questioned with his eyebrows raised. He took a few steps towards her closing the space between them. Kat's heart accelerated as she began to feel uncomfortable. His intentions with women were crude and she knew it.

"I can think of ways to be productive." He breathed as he looked down at her. He towered a good foot over her. She hadn't budged though.

"Don't even think about it Reid." She said darkly

_If he thinks he can jump me then he has another thing coming._

Reid smirked then backed off.

"Don't get yourself all tied up Kat. I don't think of you that way." He said smugly then walked out.

"Asshole." She muttered after exhaling deeply.

Gathering her hoodie she walked out to go meet Qwerty. The two had a study date with the library.

"Hey," Qwerty whispered

"Hm."

"You think Caleb would go out with me?" she whispered

"Ask his girlfriend." Kat mumbled deeply concentrating

"Huh. Guess that's a no. Reid?"

"Good luck with that." Kat smirked

Well, damn it." she said

"They aren't worth it. There are plenty of other guys on campus."

"But you live with the hot ones." Qwerty whined

"Yeah and you don't know them that well. I don't even know them that will."

"But you will." She drew out the last word.

"Ladies." Reid greeted as he plopped down in a chair.

Qwerty blushed lightly whereas Kat was copying down notes still. Reid seemed to focus on her quickly noticing she hadn't taken notice of his arrival the way Qwerty had. He peered over what she was doing, and she just put her palm to his face and pushed him away without so much as looking at him. He glared at her then looked over at Qwerty who'd gone back to whatever she was doing. _They're so boring!_ He didn't know why he even tried. Then scooting closer to Qwerty he did what he could to distract her. It worked that was for sure whether it was him just slightly brushing his arm against her or just glancing at her. She was easy to play with. He knew she was wrapped around his finger when she'd done the whole 'tuck your hair behind your hair' thing. He looked past her at the blonde sitting at a study table who was clearly a sorority chick. She'd crossed her legs and was staring him down. She had to be a junior at least. He smirked having gotten her attention as well.

Qwerty took quick notice of him eye fucking the girl to the side. She scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"What?" he said "I gotta keep my options open. Did you really expect me to be completely interested?"

Kat looked up that instant right as Qwerty stood and punched the blonde across the face.

"Asshole." She hissed

She looked at Kat.

"I feel so bad for you."

Kat smirked highly impressed with her uppercut._ Now she gets it. _Reid looked at Kat who was biting her lower lip. His lip bled a little._ Damn, she hit hard when she's pissed._ Kat shook her head and gathered her stuff and left. Reid just sat there completely humiliated with what he'd done. It made him laugh though. _For someone to fall head over heels they gotta hate you first._

* * *

><p>The walk wasn't far from the library. She lived right off campus. Kat kept her eyes to the ground. She knew that campus was barren at the moment. It made her feel uneasy. The street lamps had come on. <em>Don't be so paranoid.<em> Kat looked around briefly. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. It was that feeling of being followed. She walked faster. As she walked she could've sworn she heard footsteps following behind her. She slowed only a little to be sure and she did hear them. With that she walked faster. As she could've sworn it was getting closer she stopped and turned. There was nothing there. There was nothing, but a vibrant red rose on the ground. Something about it was haunting. She didn't pick it up. She just stared at it. Kat just knew that that was for her and it was a threat.

**I hope you liked the chapter. If so or if not please review? Tell me anything you like about the story or anything you like. If you do review I'll give you a hug? How can you resist a hug?**


	7. One Of These Things Isn't Like The Other

It had been a week and she was still thinking about it.

"It was really creepy. I'm telling you, there had to be someone." She said

The pointer on the Ouija board moved over the letters again.

**You didn't see anyone?**

"Nope." She said

There was no answer. Kat continued with her homework. Qwerty hadn't spoken to Reid since what he'd done. He was an asshole simple and easy. She learned that the hard way. She got her hopes up then got them smashed.

Kat stayed out of it. She didn't miss the glares with them though.

**Don't get too worried. It's probably nothing.**

Kat sighed and hoped that he was right. It just bothered her. She'd talked to Caleb about it already. He wasn't sure what to do.

Kat rubbed her temple then got up from her desk and went downstairs. She could hear the shouts of the football game on the tv. Kat stood there for a few minutes watching both Caleb and Reid. She couldn't help, but smirk. WVU was winning against Marshall. She took her keys off the hook by the door where each of their sets of keys sat.

Caleb heard her walk out and turned down the volume of the tv.

"Dude!" Reid complained

Caleb brushed it off.

"You here?" Caleb asked

A cold spot through his shoulder told Ryan was in the room. Then the wall near the stairs bled.

**She doesn't know.**

Caleb sighed in relief and so did Reid. He thought Kat was onto what they were. But if it wasn't that then there was something else. They'd only started up here nearly a month ago and there were problems already. It was something both Caleb and Reid were trying to avoid. Especially after the Chase incident. Sarah had nearly died that night.

**You need to tell her.**

Whether the two Ipswich young men knew it or not Ryan didn't like knowing everything about each side. They all lived in this house together, yet there were big things; life changing things about each of them that they weren't sharing.

"We'll get right on that." Reid said sarcastically

He looked over at Caleb who seemed to be deep in thought.

"I don't want this to be something serious." Caleb said

"She's just freaked. It's nothing." Reid said casually as he tried to watch the game

"We don't know that. We have to take everything into accountability." Caleb said

"There's nothing to take into accountability though!" Reid exclaimed

Caleb agreed with Reid on some level. _Maybe Kat just scared herself a little. After the shock of knowing Ryan resides here she's probably still adjusting._

"Whatever. I just think that we need to look after her anyway alright?" Caleb said

Reid nodded.

"Reid."

"Alright!" Reid exclaimed irritated

_She's a big girl. She can take care of herself. _With that Reid snatched the remote and turned the sound back up on the tv and went back to watching the game. Caleb's instincts of protecting his own came into play. Kat had seemed genuinely freaked out about it.

* * *

><p>Kat saw Qwerty over by the pool tables when she walked into The Back Alley. She'd found herself coming here a lot. It was a good place to chill. Qwerty smiled her way as she looked down at the table. Kat leaned back against the wall and watched Qwerty flirt up the guy she played against. His friend who seemed to be watching came up alongside Kat.<p>

"He's such an ass." He said

"Yeah, she thrives on it though so it's all good." Kat chuckled

He smiled at her and she took great notice in it. When she had she also took in the good looks that graced him. He had dark hair that was nearly as black as a crow's feathers. His eyes though were ice blue and were enigmatic to her. It was easy to say that he'd gotten her sole attention easy not to mention he was taller than her which was always a plus. Something about guys being shorter than her was just a turn off.

"Cole." He introduced himself casually

She even liked his name. He looked like a Cole.

"Kat." she said

"Sounds mysterious. I like mysteries." He said

Yes, that was the cheesiest line ever, but she liked it and didn't mind one bit.

"So what are you majoring Kat?"

"Undecided actually. What about you?"

"Pre-med."

"Impressive."

"It brings all the ladies." He said

"I'm sure." She laughed while rolling her eyes

"Don't believe me? It got you over here." he smirked

"Oh no it didn't. Qwerty got me here." she said

"It must've been my charm then."

"Whatever helps you sleep." She said

She hadn't noticed how close he'd gotten as they stood there. Qwerty had started up another game of pool with her friend.

"I know a few things that could help me sleep." He said seductively wiggling his eyebrows at Kat.

She punched him playfully in the shoulder and laughed.

"Don't think so." She said

He shrugged. They watched the game for a while and talked and every once in a while Kat felt his arm brush against hers and she didn't know if it was on purpose or not. She didn't complain though. As they came near to the end of the game and Cole's friend was attempting to hook up with Qwerty, Cole turned to me.

"So you know you're giving me your number right?" he said cockily

* * *

><p>"So you know you're giving me your number right?" Reid mimicked as he watched from afar as the two exchanged digits.<p>

_I don't even have her number and he gets it so easily. What crock. Stupidest fucking pick-up line ever._

It was so stupid that she'd let him get her number. She was going to get shattered and he wanted to be there to watch when it did. _She'd come to me crying wishing all the pain to stop and I'll just torture her till the last second. In that last second she'll regret coming to me. _

Reid made his way towards the pool tables and Kat seemed oblivious to his presence.

"So what are my favorite ladies up to?" Reid chimed in with a cocky grin.

"Nothing much." Kat smiled; her eyes still on Cole

The two of them were all googly eyed. It irritated Reid. He felt claim to her. Well, not just her. Her and Qwerty. They were the girls of his life and they needed protecting. They couldn't do it for themselves the way that he and Caleb could and forget about Ryan he was transparent. Literally.

"I'll see you around." Cole said

With that Cole and his friend walked off. Then both girls looked over at Reid.

"What!" he exclaimed

_It's not like I chased them away. Damn._

Qwerty just shook her head.

"I need to go to bed." Qwerty said "And get away from you."

That was directed at Reid who just smirked.

"What about you kitty Kat? Going to bed too or can you stay out and play a game of pool." Reid said wiggling his eyebrows at her.

"I will kick your ass." She said accepting his challenge and grabbing a pool stick from the rack against the wall.

Reid set up the table and she got ready to break. Reid watched her position herself for it.

"Don't act like you're good at this game." He said

Kat hit the cue ball and a loud crack erupted into the air as it hit the triangle and it split. Two balls went into separate corners. She stood up feeling accomplished.

"Oh trust me, I don't act. I'm just that good." She said

Her and Reid went into a staring competition as she moved around him for another shot.

"If you'd like lessons though I'm sure I could set something up because I've seen you play." She said with a hint of sarcasm

She lined up the shot and took it. In went two more.

"Oh fuck." Reid grumbled as he prepared to possibly lose

Reid being Reid though, he'd find a way even if he got his ass chewed out by Caleb. He wasn't losing to her. Not tonight. Then again challenges were fun.

Kat missed the next shot, but she just didn't state the fact that she did it on purpose. She leaned back against the wall. As she watched Reid set up a shot her pocket vibrated. She pulled out her phone and looked at her phone. The number was unknown.

**To: Kat**

**From: Unknown**

**Did you like the flower? It was just for you. It's all for you…I'll always know where you are.**

Kat felt a deep chill that turned her whiter than milk creep all over her.


	8. Homecoming

It had been nearly a week and Kat was quiet. She was quiet enough that it started making Caleb and Reid wonder. Kat just did her usual, but without much to say.

"Yo, Kat." Reid said grabbing her by the arm and stopping her as she went to go into the kitchen

"Hold on Tera." Kat said into her phone

She looked at Reid with eyebrows raised.

"You want something?" she asked

"Something's bugging you." He said

"Yep. You being up my ass." She said then pulled away and continued to the kitchen

"It isn't me!" he called "Plus, if it were you'd be enjoying it!"

Caleb was coming down the stairs as he said the last part. Reid looked back at him.

"What?" he said shrugging "It's not like I'm lying."

Caleb just shook his head and as he walked by he slapped Reid upside the back of his head. Reid huffed and plopped back onto the couch and propped his feet up.

"You okay?" Caleb asked as Kat was just getting off the phone.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"It's not nice to lie. Especially to the guy who let you stay here." He joked

Kat looked at him flatly. _Was he seriously playing that card?_

"I'm allowed to keep to myself." She said flatly

He smirked at her. She only shook her head as she grabbed a bag of Cheetos out of a cupboard. She opened the already half eaten bag and shoved one in her mouth.

"So, what are you doing during homecoming weekend?" Caleb asked as she kept munching

She just shrugged. She didn't really make any plans let alone think about it being it was this weekend. Sure, Greek row would be partying it up not that they didn't do it every weekend. Qwerty actually asked her to go with her to Theta Zeta. She just didn't give much of an answer. She'd been too immersed on being immersed.

"Nothing I guess." She mumbled

"What!" Reid screeched from the other room

Kat froze in mid chew as he came barreling in. He looked at her as if she were an alien.

"You're not going out? you're going to sit here by yourself and do nothing?" he said flabberghasted

"Yeah, sure."

"No, the right answer is no, I'm going out to get smashed then probably make out with a random stranger." He said

He continued ranting even as Kat put away the bag of chips. She wasn't even really listening to him. It was that whole ignoring him thing again. She nodded off to Caleb and walked past Reid out of the kitchen. He followed her and continued going until finally she just turned on him and put a hand over his mouth.

"Be quiet." She said

He stopped talking then suddenly licked her hand. Kat squealed and wiped her hand on him.

"That was disgusting!" she exclaimed

He just laughed and put and arm around her shoulder.

"It isn't funny. You're disturbed."

"We all are. How do you think we ended up rooming in the same house?" he said still laughing

She glared at him down then hit him in the chest.

"Ow, careful Kat. You'll break my heart."

"Good. It needs a good breaking." She said

Reid grabbed a hold of her right then and spun her around in a circle making her squeal again.

"Reid!" she whined

"You going out tonight?" he asked returning to the subject of homecoming weekend and ignoring

"Actually…" she went to think about it. She hadn't seen Cole in a while. Thinking about him gave her goosebumps, the good kind. "I wonder what Cole is doing tonight."

"Ah yes, the pool boy." Reid rolled his eyes

"Yeah," she said smiling, she hadn't smiled once since she got that text "I think I'll go to that party. Maybe see if he shows up."

She slipped from him having his arm wrapped around her and went upstairs in a slight rush as she got on the phone with Qwerty. Reid just stood there for a second then shrugged. _She'll be getting shitfaced then and I get to watch._ Thinking about it made him laugh. A few minutes later Qwerty walked into the house and headed for the stairs.

"Do we not knock anymore?" Reid called sarcastically

"Screw you." Qwerty said as she kept going

"I love you too sweetheart." He said half laughing

Qwerty flipped him off not that he saw it. Heading to Kat's room she felt a sudden cold chill sweep past her.

"You seriously got to fix the heat up in here. There are cold spots everywhere." Qwerty said as she plopped down on her chair at her desk

* * *

><p>Kat just shrugged as she was looking through her closet. She couldn't seem to find something. Granted, her closet was full of clothes, but she was just one confused mess. Kat backed away from the closet and looked back at Qwerty. She smirked and got up and moved to the closet. In five seconds lat she'd picked out a top and dark blue jeans.<p>

"There." She said

Kat went to protest, but Qwerty stopped her before she even started.

"It looks good and not skankish." She said "So, Just put it on and we'll go."

Kat debated for a moment then walked into the bathroom. Five minutes later she came out while texting on her phone. Her eyes were transfixed on it and it didn't take Qwerty long before figuring out who she was talking to. Of course Cole would be the one to get her smiling. For a little while she wasn't sure if she was okay. Maybe it was just a bad week. She did say that she'd had two tests and was stressed.

When both of them got downstairs they walked out. Reid stared at both of them as if expected attention.

"What, no insult today?" he quipped

"You're a whore." Qwerty said flatly before walking out and closing the door

Reid smirked. Caleb rolled his eyes. He knew how much Reid loved getting under her skin and eventually doing that to women was going to bite him in the ass.

Kat parked her car down the road a little ways down the road from the frat house. It was early, but Cole and his friend were supposed to meet them there. When they got inside they saw that the house was starting to get packed. It wasn't extremely crowded, but it was just getting started.

They walked up the porch steps where Cole greeted them. He greeted Kat with a hug. It wasn't just any hug though. It was one of those lasting ones. It warmed Kat inside. A sudden thought came up though and wiped what she figured could be normal right away. It was him being normal and her not being normal. It made her tense a little.

Cole handed both ladies a drink and Kat took a nice long drink of it. _I need tonight. _She knew that she couldn't keep letting her past come up as a roadblock. It was over, done with. It's not like she could change it. Plus, if she was given the choice, she wouldn't change a single damn thing.

She just smiled at him. It was all she could do at this moment. This guy was actually into her and she didn't know what to say at all.

"At least you remembered my number." He said "I was worried that I scared you off."

"Nope." Kat said popping the 'p'

He smiled at that. She also stayed close to her, real close. Qwerty was tipsy after her first drink. Kat smirked. _Lightweight. _Cole tugged at her a little to get her attention. Then he took her drink and set it aside. She wasn't sure what he wanted, but he was pulling her towards where several other students who were dancing. _So that's what you want. Okay, but you better know how to dance._

She'd turned her back on him as his arm snaked around her waist. Her hips started swaying side to side and she could feel his move in sync. It took her by surprise being most guys would stand there and let the girl do all the work. She'd leaned back into him not stopping. Then she felt his lips on her neck. A smile graced her own lips. Dancing to one song with him turned into dancing to about six songs. She didn't think going out would be good, but she was glad she did. She didn't care that others would watch if they were. Then she felt his fingers lace with hers. The moment made her feel like she was floating.

After about halfway through the seventh song Qwerty pulled her away from Cole to go to the bathroom. Kat was tipsy, but not as tipsy as Qwerty who nearly fell up the stairs twice.

"You're such a good friend!" She said "I'm glad that we know each other. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Kat laughed and shook her head. Qwerty nearly fell off the toilet. Then she went back downstairs and continued dancing. Kat saw Caleb not far off talking with a few buddies that she figured he must have classes with. He nodded her way acknowledging her.

"so do I get a dance?"

Kat turned and saw Reid wiggling his eyebrows at her.

"Definitely not." She said walking past him to where Cole waited. He held out a hand to her and she just bit her bottom lip and took it.

Reid watched as the two got real close and nearly looked like one person. He also saw Qwerty eating some guy's face over against the wall. She more than likely wouldn't remember it and he was sure to not let her forget. Reid then set his sights on a cute Brunette who he saw eye fucking him. she'd tucked her bangs behind her ear. _Why not? She's cute._

He didn't walk over to her. She came to him. They always did.

Kat turned around to face Cole and when she did he kissed her. It caught her off guard, but she didn't stop him. She only encouraged him when her lips parted. His tongue met hers. She moaned slightly, but he didn't hear it over the music. She saw Qwerty out of the corner of her eye and pulled away.

"I'm sorry. I have to go, she's going to regret anything that could happen." Kat said over the music

She turned and made her way towards Qwerty. Caleb was over there already talking with her and helping her stand. She heard Cole shout about something over the music, but she didn't catch any of it.

"I got her." Kat said as she wrapped Qwerty's arm around her neck and took on her weight

"Follow me." Caleb said while points

She nodded and followed behind him as Qwerty laid her head on Kat's shoulder. Getting outside the cold air got Kat dizzy right quick and took a split second to stabilize herself. She walked down the steps and kept a good grip around Qwerty's waist as they made their way to Caleb's car. He opened the passenger side door and helped her in. She just laid back.

"Get her home safe alright?" Kat said

Her tipsiness faded. Caleb nodded.

"You need a ride as well."

"I gotta get my car back. I'll see you at the house." She said

"Are you sure you can drive? You were drinking." He said being sure

"I am sure." She said clearly

He still looked unsure, but nodded and got in on the other side and drove off. She waited till she saw the car turn the car before she started toward her car. The walk wasn't far, but it was dark. She walked as fast as she could. She also counted the number of steps it took to get under the next street light. Then out of nowhere something reached out and grabbed her from behind and dragged her down a gravel back road. She tried to scream, but a hand covered her mouth. She struggled, but it was a firm grip.

She had the breath knocked out of her when she was slammed against a fence. He still pushed against her back with his own body. Kat's mind was panicking. He breathed loudly in her ear. A rough hand was in the middle of her back holding her there.

"I'm so glad to see you again."

The voice was dark and rough and creepy. It sent a cold chill down her whole being. This was the guy who'd been sending her creepy texts. Her cold side kicked in quickly when the thought of what he'd do to her flashed through her mind. It wouldn't happen, not again.

Kat kicked against the fence and shoved her and her attacker backwards. They both hit the ground and Kat elbowed him as hard as she could manage then scrambled to her feet. She didn't see his face. If anything it was all a blur because she took off running and fast. Her heart hammered against her chest and she could barely breathe, but she didn't stop. She could hear running footsteps behind her and she just pushed herself farther. _Oh god. I'm gonna die. _She didn't even go to get her car. She just ran back to the house.

When she got there she slammed the door behind her and locked it. Then she ran up the stairs and tripped once. Going to her room she locked her own door and her windows and turned out her lights. She sat on the floor wither eyes wide open in the dark.

She jumped when her phone vibrated in her pocket. She fumbled to get it as she felt Ryan in the room.

**To Kat**

**From: Unknown**

**I'll see you again real soon.**

"No!" she screamed as she threw the phone across the room and scrambled backwards till her back hit the wall. Her body went onto convulsions as she sobbed. Sudden coldness covered her and she shivered. Her cries echoed through her room as she held her knees to her chest.

Caleb walked into the house and hung up his keys. Going upstairs he felt a sudden push along with a cold rush. He took that as a sign and ran up the rest of the way. He heard Kat crying from the other side of the door.

"Kat, open the door." He said sternly as he jiggled the door knob

Then not even caring he used and the door unlocked. He flung it open and saw Kat crocking back and forth crying incessantly. Her phone was on the other side of the room with the back off and battery on the floor. He moved over to her and picked her up in his arms. He took her from her room and went downstairs. He set her on the couch and as he went to go get her water she just held on to him. He stayed there with her and cradled her. Her body was tense and she was terrified. He didn't know what of.

"What happened?" he asked "Kat I can't help you if you don't tell me."

"He found me…" she sobbed "He found me."

Caleb held her tighter. Someone was after one of his girls now. This wasn't something she was making up or coincidence. She was right.


	9. Curiousity Could Kill Kat

**Hey again, I thought since I was here I'd give you a chapter. Sounds good right? Great! So…Read it already.**

Caleb waited for Kat on the couch. She was upstairs getting ready for class.

"So, you her puppy or something?" Reid inquired while downing a bowl of cereal.

Caleb huffed annoyed. Granted he didn't know what happened, but still.

Kat was coming downstairs as Caleb was getting ready to tell Reid what was happening. She was sucked into her own thoughts. Someone was watching her and they had attacked her over the weekend. She was afraid to go anywhere and it was strange to her that she felt that way. Kat was also having trouble figuring out how Caleb had gotten into her room.

She walked down into the living room and froze. That awkward moment people tend to walk into? Yeah, she stepped right into it. Her mind went blank then the sudden question came out before she could stop it.

"How'd you get into my room?" she asked

"What?" Caleb asked

Reid's eyes got curious as he looked at Caleb.

"The door was locked." She said

"I just busted it open." He said simply

"But the hinges aren't broken or anything." She said

"I picked the lock Kat." he said hinting that he wanted the subject dropped

Kat nodded, but didn't completely believe him.

"We going?" Kat then said displeased with not getting a complete answer.

She expected that from Reid not Caleb. She didn't wait for a response. She just walked out the front door. Reid was glaring hard at Caleb.

"So you can use and I can't?" Reid gritted "You're an asshole."

Reid didn't let Caleb get anything out. He left for his own classes. Caleb looked out the window and saw him catch up with Kat. They were both pissed with him.

**Smooth Caleb.**

Caleb scoffed.

"Shut up." He said

The writing on the wall faded. Caleb sat there with his thoughts. Things were growing intense and quick.

* * *

><p>"Hungover?" Kat giggled when she got to class<p>

"Shut up." Qwerty groaned

Then she shot up and looked at Kat.

"I didn't do anything stupid did I?" she asked

"Nope." Kate said smirking

Qwerty let out a sigh of relief.

"You just shoved your tongue down a guy's throat." Kat finished

Qwerty's eyes went wide at that moment and she just slammed her head down on her desk. Other students looked at them curious.

"She's just hungover." Kat said laughing

Qwerty flipped Kat off, which only made Kat laugh even more. Then the professor walked in and she swallowed down the laughter hard. She concentrated on notes, but after the long fifty minutes of class her mind drew back to the recent problem. She didn't eat lunch. She sat there and played with food. Qwerty looked at her worried.

"What's up?" she asked "Reid being a dick again?"

"He's always a dick, but no." Kat said

"What is it then?" she asked

Kat just shook her head and got up.

"I have to go to class." She mumbled and as she turned to go she ran into somebody and jumped majorly. Her skin went pale and she clutched her book bag to her shoulder.

She walked out of the small café past Reid. Reid looked at Qwerty and gestured towards Kat.

"I don't know. I'm going to find out though." she said and left

Reid stood there. He'd had intentions to get lunch and bug them as he always did, but he lost his appetite now. What didn't he know?

* * *

><p>After classes Kat was walking back to the house.<p>

"Kat!" Qwerty called

Kat didn't stop.

"Hey," Qwerty said coming up beside her "What's going on? And don't feed me bullshit."

"I…" Kat started "I was attacked over the weekend. There's a guy after me and he attacked me. He's also been sending creepy texts."

"Jesus." Qwerty breathed

"Yeah, I've just been jumpy." She said looking at the sidewalk

"I don't know what to say to that."

"Don't say anything. I just want to move on from it." Kat said

Qwerty nodded.

"So, you want to go out tonight?" she asked

"Can't. I have an exam tomorrow and Reid and I have to study for it."

"Joy."Qwerty said flatly

Kat chuckled.

"I'll see you later okay?"

"Yeah, later Qwerty." Kat said as she went up the porch steps

She went straight to her room.

**Kat. **

She's seen the board move.

"What?"

**Just go to the police.**

"I can't. You know why I can't. They wouldn't even believe me." She said

**Stay with one of the guys then. Please? For me?**

"I have to take care of myself." She said "I can't drag them in like that."

**They're your friends and they care. **

"I know." She said, her face falling

Kat pulled out some of her books and opened one. About an hour later Reid was back and was knocking at her door. He didn't wait for an answer. He just walked as usual like he owned the place. He had a bored look on his face.

"So, what are we starting on?"

Kat looked up at him and lifted her book a little to show him. Then she went back to what she was highlighting. Reid just stared at her.

"What's wrong?" he asked

"Nothing." She said "Just exhausted from this."

"Don't lie Kat." he said

She sighed. Then she sat up and rubbed her eyes.

"Caleb or somebody probably already told you." She said

"Told me what?" he asked

_You think anyone would tell me anything? I'm in the dark here!_

"I was attacked over the weekend by the buy who's been stalking me." She said

She saw Reid's jaw clench and knew he was pissed.

"I didn't believe it." he said

"It doesn't matter. I'm okay." She said

"And next time?"

"You think there will be?"

"Anything can happen Kitty Kat." he said

His eyes were serious and he'd gotten up and moved to sit next her. She laid her head on his shoulder and he laid an arm around her shoulders.

"No one will touch you. I promise." Reid said

_It's hard to believe. I don't want you to be hurt. I won't let you. Any cost._

"Maybe I deserve it." she said

"What?" Reid said pulling away and looking at her

Kat just shook her head.

"Look, you don't deserve any guy thinking he owns you and has to take what he wants." Reid said

"Let's just drop it okay?"

Reid nodded and grabbed the book Kat had shoved away.

"I am so glad that you pay attention in this class cause I don't." he chuckled

Kat smiled and nudged him aside. She took the book and started going over the sections that she had highlighted with him. He got it quick so it made it easier to just chill out for a while.

"I'm glad you're living here you know?" he said

Kat looked at him now. He smiled down at her. She smiled back.

"Me too."

_I am glad that I'm living here. Strange things happen here, but I can accept that. My life is screwed up already. The only thing is, is that I want to know what I don't know. I thought I could say everyone has their own secrets and has rights to keep them, but it's like they're screaming at me to uncover them. I know that Caleb did something to open that door. It's the same thing when I've seen Reid play pool. Something doesn't add up to some of these things and how they happen. I also have to know who is after me and be rid of them no matter the consequence. In the end though…would I really want to know?_


	10. Need To Know Basis

Thanksgiving came and went. Everyone went home, but Kat stayed behind telling them that she'd be leaving later on and just didn't. She just stayed. Granted she knew she was being stalked, but she hadn't gotten anything creepy since homecoming. She didn't have anywhere to go. It wasn't all that bad though. Ryan was there. She took the time to do some research on a few things. She also looked for a way to get down into that secret room that she'd found them in doing something weird.

"I don't know." She said

**Maybe we should ask them.**

Ryan was trying to urge her to talk to them about it so that maybe they'd just out right tell her instead of leaving her in the dark. She didn't deserve that.

"Oh yeah, that sounds good. Hey guys are you like witches or some shit like that?" Kat said sarcastically

It was retarded is what it was and she knew it. She couldn't even believe that she was contemplating this. Kat put the book down and went downstairs. The guys came back the night before last and seemed to be in an intense conversation. Reid poked his head out of it.

"Hey Kat, what would you think about having a roommate?"

"Another one?" she asked "Wait a minute, I get a say in this?"

"You live here don't you?"

"Well, yeah." She answered

"Then I guess you do." He smirked

"Well then you shouldn't ask me." She said

"What?" Caleb asked now jumping in on it

"Ask the one who lives in that room."

They both had blank stares towards her. She just waited another second to see if they'd get it and they still looked at her stupefied. She huffed.

"Ryan."

The realization came slowly. Kat just rolled her eyes. Then the phone rang. She moved to pick it up as she watched those two go back into deep conversation. It was kind of funny watching them as their talk turned to bickering. What were they, five?

"Hello?" she said

"Hello, Katerina. How was your break?"

The voice was sinister, dark, and deep. The one from homecoming. She couldn't mistake it if she tried. It was imbedded into her brain. How did he know her full name? Nobody knew it being she never gave it. Kat hung up the phone quickly and noticed that both Reid and Caleb were staring at her expectantly now.

"Wrong number." She mumbled and went upstairs

She kept her eyes on the stairs. As she reached the top she felt a cold rush through the right side of her body.

"You should know that they're looking into getting another housemate and they would be moving into your room." She said

With that she kept on towards her room.

**Well, it won't be easy I'll make sure of that.**

Kat laughed a little.

"I hope if anything it'll be a female. There are too many males here." she said

There was no response. Kat moved to her room and just fell on her bed. He was now making house calls. Joy. A knock at her door several minutes later caught her by surprise.

"Who is it?" she asked confused

They never knocked. They walked in and that was it. Reid poked his head in.

"It wasn't the wrong number was it?" he asked

She just shook her head.

"Kat, you got to call the police." He said as he came in and sat beside her. there was genuine worry in his features.

"I can't. I have a record. They wouldn't give me a second chance." She said

"It can't be that bad."

Kat scoffed in her mind. If he only knew.

"I just can't." she said "I'll deal with this in my own way and maybe if I ignore it it'll go away."

"You know it won't." he said more serious now

"I'll deal with it." her tone dark now

Reid didn't recognize her for a split second. It was a look that was familiar and brought about a name to his mind that he didn't want to even utter. _ What is she thinking about? Please tell me I'm wrong in thinking that she wants to go after this guy._

Kat moved to her door and opened it. She gestured for him to leave, but he just grinned and laid back.

"Oh c'mon you miss me." He said

She raised her eyebrows at him and took her time moving over to him and tried to get him up. He only made it more difficult by putting in his own weight. He laughed at her facial expression as she tried her hardest to get him off of her. Then he just grabbed her arm and pulled her down beside him. She yelped as he did and bounced on the bed. He pinned her down and laughed.

"Pinned ya." He said sounding confident

_A Lion King moment really? Wow…dumbass._

The moment felt tense for some reason as they sat or rather laid in that position. He stared at her intensely and she did the same.

_Who is she? I know her, but I don't. I don't like not knowing._

_Please don't let him find out. I don't want him to turn against me. I need to do what I have to. Should I ask about it? Would he tell me what him and Caleb do? What do they do? Maybe I'm delusional. It wouldn't be too surprising now would it?_

His arms on each side of her had her blocked in that spot. For a moment she didn't want him to move. The way they were was getting her heart going.

"Careful Kat. Wouldn't want to think you're comfortable." He said in a hushed tone

Kat glared at him now and he just drew closer.

_What the hell is he doing?_

Their noses nearly touched now. Then suddenly Kat shoved him off without thinking. It was like an instinct telling her to back off. Reid sat as if catching his breath.

"Sorry to disappoint you Garwin, but I'm not a whore. I actually have standards." She said

_Standards…You think I don't? Placing hard to get doesn't work for me. In fact, why does everyone think I'm a damn manwhore…oh right I give that off don't I?_

Kat left the room and Reid just sat there now thinking about how close he was to her and how it felt to touch her body even though it wasn't that sexual. He'd pinned her.

* * *

><p>Kat thought about Cole as she stood at the base of the stairs and just took a deep breath. This wasn't happening. Not now, not ever. She wouldn't do that to Cole. Sure, they weren't dating, but she really liked this guy. Leave it to Reid to want to stop that. Then again she wasn't pulling away completely and half wanted what she thought he wanted.<p>

Kat shook her head and went downstairs. Reid was only adding onto her mental issues. Caleb was downstairs still sitting where he was before. She was having an issue in picking where she wanted to be. Reid was upstairs now pestering her and Caleb's pestering was quiet with stares. He looked at her as she sat down beside him.

"So, who was on the phone?" he asked

"I don't know. It was the wrong number." She answered

_I wish Qwerty was here. I wouldn't get so much pestering._

* * *

><p>"I'm telling you Kat, he likes you." Qwerty said<p>

Kat's head fell down on the table.

_Nevermind. I wish I could be alone now. Freaking pestering!_

"No no no no no no no!" Kat said over and over again

Qwerty laughed.

"It's true…you know it."

"No."

"Cole does to like you and I'll repeat it all I like." She said

Kat groaned. How was she supposed to feel now?

"Hey ladies."

Kat raised her head and saw Cole standing there with a sheepish grin and damn it, it was cute. His eyes were just so blue and…just damn it. He sat down beside Kat. He was close too. Kat's heart skipped and she bit her lower lip.

"Well, I have class." Qwerty said as she got up and left

_Did she just leave me? I can't do this by myself!_

"What about you? Class?"

"No." she smiled

Reid was walking in and saw the two of them talking. Quickly he turned and walked out. Who was he to jump in on something that wasn't his anyway? This wasn't Ipswich. He had to accept things he didn't like and he needed to forget about things he didn't want to feel. Being close to her…it wasn't right.

Kat hadn't noticed him come in let alone leave. She was enthralled with Cole. He made her smile and she hadn't smiled in a long time. Her sudden worries were gone.

Reid who was walking back to the house felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

"Yo." He said as he answered

"Reid get back to the house. I have an idea on how to find Kat's stalker." Caleb said

"On my way back now actually and this wouldn't have to do with a little using now would it?" Reid asked precariously

"Shut up and just your ass back here." Caleb said

"Now you're thinking about my ass? Geez Caleb, does Sarah know you're swinging for the other side?"

The line went dead right then. Reid snickered to himself as he shoved the phone back into his pocket.

When he got back to the house he saw the open hatch. Caleb must've been downstairs.

"So, tell me why we are going after the moron instead of just going to the police." Reid said as he got fully down the staircase

"Because we don't need the attention." Caleb said

"Right." Reid mumbled thinking about how she said she had a record

Caleb showed Reid the book of damnation right then. Reid looked down at it. _To call out an enemy._

"Okay…" he trailed off handing the book back

"It'll take three of us at least."

"Who's closest to us?" Reid asked

"Baby boy."

"You know we'll have to wait. He's in the midst of his own bullshit." Reid said "He's actually considering a transfer."

"Huh." Caleb said thinking about that deeply.

_If the transfer goes through then maybe he'll take up residence here._

"When?" he asked

"Not sure. Like I said, he's considering it." Reid said "I can probably get him to come up after Christmas."

"Good." Caleb said

Caleb looked at Reid. Reid was extremely curious. He'd never seen him act this way. Not directly. He was taking some serious matters to hand. _What if he found the guy that was after Kat then what? Granted I was pretty vengeful and prick like when I wanted to be, but what would Caleb do?_

* * *

><p>Cole walked Kat back to the house. For several moments they just stood there and the silence felt really awkward.<p>

_Well, I think a gay baby was born._

"I should go." Cole said

Kat only nodded unsure what to say to that. Then suddenly her lips came into contact with his like an electric shock. Her eyes went wide quickly then close gradually as she fell into it. _Oh he is too good. _He pulled away and smirked down at her.

"That's only the beginning." He said before walking off

Even after he'd gone and she went inside ignoring the fact that the hatch was open she forgot to breathe. She could feel Ryan following her and she didn't care. Was it possible to be on cloud eleven?


	11. Keeping Secrets

The next few days were great for Kat. Not only did she get an actual date with Cole, but the calls stopped and there no texts. Caleb and Reid went into their own world for a while leaving her out of the loop, but that meant she could do her own research. Research she couldn't do with them around. Ryan was always on her when she was home. Even when her and Cole started getting hot and heavy.

Ryan turned out the lights hoping to scare him, but Cole just smirked taking advantage. It was only when Kat's stereo blasted Creed that they both jumped and Kat decided it wasn't a good idea unless she wanted to witness and Paranormal Activity scene. Cole was frustrated, but obliged. Kat knew that if he really wanted it he'd wait. Kat didn't speak to Ryan for hours after that stunt though. Reid completely praised him earning a few punches. Caleb kept his praises more quiet.

Getting back from class one day with Qwerty and Cole in tow Kat paused. Reid was talking with someone.

_New possible housemate?_

"Yo Kat!" Reid called

Kat just nodded in acknowledgement. Everyone looked at her now.

_What?_

"Kat this is Baby Boy." Reid said with a smirk

Baby By huffed and held out his hand to shake hers.

"It's Tyler." He said laughing

_His eyes are so blue! I could die in them from drowning._

Kat shook his hand and smiled. It was hard not to squeak like a school girl.

_Wait, I am a school girl. College is school. I can squeal if I want…_

"She speaks right?" Tyler asked Reid who was laughing

"I can speak!" she exclaimed "I-nevermind. I have work I have to do."

With that Tyler chuckled while Kat went upstairs. Qwerty smirked and followed. Cole stood there for a moment with the two other gentlemen and then followed them upstairs. Reid and Tyler looked at each then shrugged. The guy was edgy around them and they felt they were doing something right then.

"So, this guy…" Tyler continued

"Caleb's idea man, not mine."

Tyler just scratched the back of his head and sighed. His first visit up here and he was asked to use. This wasn't exactly how he'd pictured seeing his friends again. He couldn't complain about prospecting though.

"Alright." Tyler sighed

Reid stood and led him downstairs to where the book of damnation resided. Caleb joined them shortly and so did Ryan. He stalked around Tyler cursiously.

"Okay seriously, what is that?" Tyler asked

"Just Ryan." Reid said

"Ryan?" he asked

"Yeah, a ghost. No biggie."

Tyler's eyebrows rose and he looked like he was ready to unload a lot of questions, but just abandoned them. It was pointless anyhow.

_Where would I even begin?_

"This is it." Caleb said

"Caleb, are you sure about this? It could bring about bad repercussions." Tyler said

"I'm sure." He said dead set on it

Tyler could understand wanting to protect her, but what did these two really know about her anyhow? She seemed sweet and all. He had to put faith that they knew. It was their problem anyhow. He was only here to help. It wasn't his right to jump in.

They went over the idea they were getting ready to perform and soon their eyes turned darker then a crow's feathers. Each of them could feel it draining a little out of them. The dim lighting flickered slightly.

* * *

><p>Both Qwerty and Kat looked up from what they were doing and looked around. The lights flickered in the room. Cole held his hand to his forehead. Kat took notice and moved over to him worried.<p>

"You okay?" she asked

He didn't respond right away.

"Cole." She said trying to gain his attention

He looked up at her and smiled lightly. He was trying to scare her.

"It's okay. Just a headache." He said

"You sure?" she asked, her hand caressed against his cheek

"Yes, I'm sure." He said and placed a light kiss on her lips

"Okay."

* * *

><p>"Well, that was a bust." Reid said<p>

Tyler grumbled in agreement.

"Who's hungry?" Reid then asked

Caleb huffed wondering what happened.

_What the hell? I did everything right. I even stole Kat's hair, which was really awkward, for this. Damn it!_

"Yeah, lets it go." Caleb sighed

The three of them went upstairs and closed the hatch.

"Yo Kat! Let's go! We're hungry!" Reid yelled up the stairs

"Yeah Reid, cause she's an animal." Tyler said flatly

Reid just shrugged not really caring. Kat came down the stairs with the others behind her. Two cars were taken. Kat's with Kat, Qwerty and Cole and Reid's with Reid, Tyler and Caleb. Kat admired the people around her that night. These were her friends. Further down the road she'd be able to say that she knew them. Nothing mattered except this. Kat watched Qwerty throw a piece of food at Reid and Tyler just laugh at him. She laughed too. Then her eyes caught Caleb's. He smiled at her and looked away. Kat didn't mull over it, not tonight. Tomorrow maybe.

Cole rubbed his temple again and Kat took great notice of it.

"Are you sure you're okay?" she whispered

"Yeah." He said "I'm gonna go though."

"Okay." She said as he placed a kiss on her cheek

Caleb watched as he walked out of the restaurant.

_Headache eh?_

* * *

><p>Tyler left that night and Qwerty was upstairs on Kat' computer while Kat was talking to Ryan. It was only to see if he knew anything new. He replied that he didn't so she went upstairs. Qwerty was chekcingher email. Kat just sighed and laid back on her bed.<p>

"Qwerty," Kat said grabbing her attention

"Hm."

"If I told you something. Something big and bad would you hate me?" Kat asked

Qwerty's tapping on the keyboard stopped and she turned. The look on her face was alarming and worried.

"Is everything okay?" she asked

_Why am I wanting to tell her? Maybe it's to find out how others might handle it. it I should ever tell anyone ever again. I have to tell somebody. I can't let it only be me especially if Tera's voice keeps popping in my head about giving people chances._

"That depends on how you take it." Kat said

Her heart thumped hard and loud in her. She gulped and exhaled deeply.

"Kat, you can tell me anything okay?" she said

"I just…I'm afraid to be good friends and I can't do it…Ugh!" Kat said frustrated "It's not coming out right. I've wanted to tell you, but I'm afraid."

"You're not a dyke are you?" Qwerty asked suddenly

"No!" Kat screeched then went into a sudden fit of giggle and so did Qwerty

The laughter died down after a while and they sat there in the room.

"I think it's worse," Kat said "And I don't know how you're going to handle it, but I have to get it out."

Kat looked at Qwerty, her eyes watering because she was so afraid.

"I've- I'm-I've been in jail, not jail, prison for the past three and a half years." Kat said stammering

* * *

><p>Qwerty didn't leave that night. She stayed the night there with Kat the whole night. Kat cried as she told Qwerty the most important part of her life. She thought Qwerty would run away, but she stayed. She actually held Kat and Kat didn't know why. Why wasn't she afraid of her?<p>

"I have to go okay?" Qwerty said "Class and all."

Kat nodded. Kat walked her to her bedroom door. When she opened the door she saw Reid there with his hand up ready to knock.

"A sleepover? Why wasn't I invited?" he said

Kat laughed a little and wiped her face.

"What's up?" he asked

"None of your damn business." Qwerty snapped before Kat could come up with an excuse

Qwerty walked out and down the stairs. Reid stared after her and rolled his eyes.

"That woman is PMSing all the time." He said

Kat smirked. Awkwardly he madeher feel better. He didn't know it, but he did and she was okay with it.

"Let's just go. We have lab." She said shoving him a long

"Whoa, no. I can't be seen with the like of you." He joked "I mean look at your face. It's a mess not to mention your hair."

"Oh blow me." Kat said

"With pleasure." He said wiggling his eyebrows.

Kat kept going and pretended she didn't hear his moronic comment. And like that she shoved it all back into its little box. She hoped it would never have to come back out too. It'd be like letting out hell plus, it's not like they were telling her their secret. When they wanted to share she'd think about sharing as well. Till then she would keep to herself except for Qwerty.


	12. Drowning

Reid and Kat had kept writing notes back and forth to each other during class even though they sat right beside each other. The semester was dragging on and Kat had spent more time in the library then she wanted to. Reid asked if she wanted a study buddy and she said sure.

Right after classes they met up and headed to the library. They went to the second floor and to a corner. Reid sat across from her so he could put his bookbag in the chair next him. Every once in a while he looked up at Kat. She ran her hand through her hair. He smirked. She was in deep concentration. He knew at any second she'd be putting her hair up. It was just her process.

Right as the thought occurred Kat Took her hair tie on her left wrist and put her hair up messily. Reid held back a chuckle. He looked back down at the textbook in front of him. The subject was utterly boring, but he had to get his lab class out of the way. He was glad Kat had it with him or there was a good chance he'd be failing. A buzzing sound alerted him and he tilted his head to the side as he looked at Kat who answered her phone.

"This is a library you know." He said grinning

"Shut up. You wouldn't know it existed if I hadn't showed you." She countered

She looked down at the text. Reid's face was filled with puzzlement as her face went blank and she shut her phone. She didn't reply to it at all.

"What is it?" he asked

"Nothing." She said flatly

He knew there was no chance she'd actually tell him. He didn't know why?

_You trying to protect us or are you just trying to keep us out of it? What aren't you telling us?_

Reid reached over for the phone, but as Kat went to reach for it before him they both bumped heads and the phone fell to the floor.

"Ow." Reid said

He wasted no time grabbing the phone. Kat huffed as she was trying to get it from him. Reid held her back with one hand and opened her messages. There were messages between her and Qwerty along with ones to Cole. There was another number in there that he didn't recognize. It was an unknown number. There were threatening ones there. Reid looked at Kat in disbelief. She'd told no one about them coming back.

"And you didn't say anything?" he growled

"It's my business." She snapped

"Kat, you're being stalked and you were attacked!"

"And it's my business."

"And you're my friend." He said

"I didn't ask you to care!" she snarled

Reid snatched the phone even farther from her and she fell onto his lap and he just held her there as she tried to fight even more. The punches she gave to his chest hurt more than other punches he'd received from chicks.

When he looked at other messages on the phone he noticed Qwerty sent a text with his name in it.

_Were they talking about me?_

"Geez Kat. You nearly hit like a guy. Kinda funny with how tiny you are." he laughed as she still hit him with threats spouting out of her mouth

She snatched her phone back and hit him one more time. She sat back in her chair and scowled at him. Then she picked up her pencil and threw it at him. Reid went into full on laughing fits.

"It's not funny, you snooping around." She spat

"Well, you should learn not to hide things and then there won't be snooping." He said in a more serious tone

She looked away from him.

"What if he goes after people? I can't go to the police. They wouldn't take one look at me." She said

_Why? What is so bad you can't tell me?_

"I didn't think anything could be this complicated." She said quietly

Reid watched as she hung her head slightly then pulled out a spare pencil and went back to her homework. He could see that it had her severely worked up. It wasn't the only thing either. He'd found a book in her room the other day. It was on the Salem witch trials. He couldn't believe it. Reid had started agreeing with Caleb that it wasn't a good idea to tell her about their 'power'. The only reason Reid agreed was because of the shit that was going on now.

After all the homework the two of them went to the cafeteria to meet Qwerty and Caleb who had already settled at a table and were eating.

"Anything eventful today?" Qwerty asked as she played with her food

"Nope." Reid answered knowing that she was actually asking Kat

Qwerty flicked food at him. He laughed and so did Kat. Caleb watched the three of them and was sure that a food fight would break out. He stopped them before it could. He also looked at Kat. Her worries could be seen a little with the circles under her eyes. He'd ask, but she was so stubborn about talking about it.

Kat left early and everyone offered to go with her. She just said no and left.

"What's wrong with her?" Qwerty asked

"There's just a lot going on." Caleb said

Qwerty grunted right then causing both young men to look at her.

"You all have so many secrets and you know what? They're gonna bite you in the ass!" she nearly yelled the last part

She stormed out of the building to god knows where. She was pissed and both of them knew not to mess with her when she was pissed. The only other person they got more afraid of when she was pissed was Kat.

Caleb had been on the phone with Sarah and heard a crash. Reid and Kat were going at it when he ran to see what was going on. And it wasn't him just trying to hold her down and stop. They were both hitting each other and she was screaming at him. Caleb didn't ask what they were fighting about. He just walked out and said his housemates were fighting. He had to admit that Kat had a good right hook.

Reid and Caleb left not long after. When they got back to the house however, Kat wasn't there. There was no sign she'd even gotten back.

"Ryan." Reid called out "Did Kat come back?"

**No**

As soon as it bled from the walls Caleb had pulled out his phone and started calling her. Their concerns for her kept growing. Caleb redialed and still there was no answer.

"She isn't answering." Caleb said

"Shit." Reid said and ran out the door

He didn't know where she'd be, but he had to look for her. The thought of her being hurt scared him.

Reid ran through campus calling for her.

Meanwhile, Caleb was on the phone with Qwerty. He was trying to see if anyone knew. Cole said he hadn't seen her either.

* * *

><p>Reid walked through the small walkways and paused in between the scince building and research center. He saw someone leaning against a wall.<p>

"Hey, what are you doing?" Reid asked

It was peculiar to be hanging around a back walkway. The person took off running in a heartbeat. Reid took off after him for reasons unknown and stopped when he saw something else.

"Oh god." He breathed

He leaned down next to the body on the ground near where the guy was. He turned the body over and noticed that this wasn't a random stranger. It was Kat. She was severely beaten.

"Kat, wake up."

She didn't respond much except for groaning. Reid picked her up in his arms and went as fast as he could to the house where Caleb took her to the hospital. From there the doctors took her.

"I'm saying we take action and we do it now." Reid growled "This is the last straw and if you don't help me I will take the son of bitch out myself."

"We don't know who it is."

"I saw who it was…sorta."

Caleb looked at him like he was an idiot. Reid sighed knowing what he was thinking. Before either of them could try to argue the doctor came up to them.

"She's fine. There was no internal bleeding. We just gave her something to help her rest. Only one at a time for visiting though." he said

"Which will be me."

Caleb and Reid turned and watched as Qwerty stomped passed the boys without once glance at them and went to Kat's room. She slammed the door shut. The two just looked at each other then took the seats nearby.

"We'll find him. I just can't guarantee he'll be alive when we're done." Caleb said

Reid's eyes turned black momentarily and he closed his fist tightly. A nearby window shattered. His eyes reverted back to their natural color.

"Feel better?" Caleb asked

"Nope."

* * *

><p>Kat went home the next day. She went straight up to her room with no intention of talking to anyone. She'd already talked to the cops begrudgingly. Reid found out that she was right. They didn't take it very serious. They said they keep a look out even though she didn't even want to talk to them. She nearly punched one of them.<p>

No one bothered her. No one knew what to say. Kat just turned into more of a ghost than before. She was starting to compete with Ryan and even he was having trouble getting through to her.

The boys kept themselves occupied with finding a fourth housemate. A few seemed appealing and they gave them a shot. The first one made Kat laugh hysterically when he ran out of the house yelling and screaming in the middle of the night.

Ryan didn't like him too much. When Kat checked out what had happened she noticed that Ryan had the walls peeling and blood pouring down the walls.

"You're such a little creep Ryan." She had laughed

Near to the same thing happened to the next guy.

When the third one came around she made sure to be present for it.

"So, I can move in?" the dirty blonde asked

"Yeah." Caleb said shaking his hand

"All you have to do is survive the night." Kat chimed in smirking

Reid bit his tongue trying to bite back laughter. Caleb glared at her and she just shrugged. The other one just stared at her confused.

"I'm going to the library. Tell Ryan to play nice. This one's kinda cute." Kat said flatl

"Don't you have a boyfriend?" Reid teased

"I can look." She pointed out

She left the house and when she got back around dinner time she heard screaming.

"Three, two…one." She opened the door on cue and out came the young man "Such a shame."

She went inside and up to her room skipping the thought of food. She hadn't been eating a lot and everyone took notice. Another thing that had come to be noticed was Cole not being around. The guy was actually never around. And it started happening around the time when…

"Caleb!" Reid shouted nearly falling off the couch and running upstairs to where Caleb was studying. Caleb looked up at the out of breath blonde. "I know who it is."

Caleb rolled his eyes. It had been a few months and they all had their own worries some of which were actually academically related. That was Kat's excuse to get away from them. It was a valid one and they couldn't keep being her tail. They'd lose her if they did. Reid on the other hand kept coming up with all these names that could or couldn't be connected to Kat.

"It's Cole." He said urgently

Caleb thought about it. he actually took it in to consideration.

"Nah, man." He said dismissing it in the end

"No, I'm serious."

"So am I. Just because he hasn't been around lately doesn't mean that he's the one after her. He's probably studying up for exams like the rest of and like you should be." Caleb said

Reid huffed.

"Whatever. I'm saying it's him. He doesn't like her being seen with us."

"Reid, you can't just point out whoever you don't like."

Reid opened his mouth to say something then closed it. He was right. Reid didn't like the guy. No part of him did. The guy was just really…off.

"Whatever." Reid grumbled unpleasantly

He went downstairs right as Kat was coming in.

"Chinese tonight, you game?" he asked blocking her way upstairs

"Uh, sure." She said "I just have to call someone."

"Who?" he asked

"Reid, I do have friends as surprising as it is." She said with a hint of sarcasm

He raised his eyebrows at her. for a moment he saw the old Kat in there.

"and who art thou friend?" he asked

"None of your damn business."

"_You all have so many secrets and you know what? They're gonna bite you in the ass!"_

The thought came into his mind often and in that moment as he watched her duck under his arm he wondered if she was right. He shook his head. His eyes flashed black and the door closed. The small 'use' felt relieving in a sense.

**We're drowning here man.**

Reid nodded in agreement at Ryan's message on the wall.

"I'm going out to look for Cole. Don't tell the others." Reid said

Reid left before Ryan got a word out. He went to the library and looked around. Cole was one of those over achievers and it figured he'd be around here somewhere. He was too. He was upstairs in the quiet area. The area nobody else was in. Reid 'used' locking the door. His eye didn't revert back to their natural color. They remained black. Reid had every intention of scaring the living hell out of him so that possibly he'd leave campus.

Reid stopped in front of Cole with only the table separating the two. Cole still didn't look up. Reid smirked and with an easy flick of his fingers the books on the shelves around them along with the papers in front of Cole flung off the shelves and off the table. Cole jumped up out of his seat and looked up at Reid.

"What the hell!" he exclaimed

"Now, Cole. We need to have a chat." Reid said darkly

Cole gulped.

"I know it's you that has been after Kat. I know everything. Took me a little while to get the pieces together, but I got it." Reid said "I mean c'mon, you have her right around your finger and she doesn't even suspect it because you're with her. It's your alibi."

Cole looked at him blankly then smirked at him.

"I never took you for an idiot."Cole said as he took a step forward unafraid "I mean Caleb, yeah, sure. But you, you're too close with her. You would catch on. I was beginning to wonder howlong it would actually take. So, how'd you find out huh?"

"I have my sources." Reid said

He wasn't about to give out what he'd done.

"Is it a witchy thing? I'm sensing a witchy thing. Don't get me wrong I'm freaked out, but you see it'll take a lot more than parlor tricks to get me gone." Cole said

"So be it." Reid snarled

Reid watched Cole fly backwards and hit the wall. Cole sank to the floor and just sat there. Cole just laughed and Reid looked at him incredulously.

"Well, Reid. This is new. I don't know how to feel about it." Cole said

"Get the hell out of here. Hell, leave the state. If I see you, I will kill you." Reid growled

Cole laughed even harder.

"Go ahead and tell them. But as you well know she's been digging up info on you two. I have been watching…do you really want to confirm her suspicions about you? How do you think she'd feel about you then?" Cole asked

Reid froze. He was being blackmailed. His eyes fell into their blue.

**I hope you liked the chapter. I know that it was probably somewhat speedy. But in any case I hope you review. Thoughts are always welcome. I'm sorry it took so long to update.**


	13. Elephant In the Room

Reid never said a word. In fact he'd become more testy with people. Both he and Kat fought more often than usual and it was less and less playful. Caleb asked why them both what was going on and they wouldn't have an answer.

The answers they did have they wouldn't give. Reid hated that he couldn't say a word. The prick had blackmailed him. It left Reid with decisions and he didn't like decisions.

Caleb could only watch the house as it fell apart. He still didn't find a fourth roommate for the house. There had been no leads on Kat's attacker. It was still getting worse. She barely spoke unless in a fight with Reid and she couldn't stand to be around anyone. Classes just kept them all at bay barely. The end of the year was coming up in a few months.

"This is bullshit." Caleb growled

The three of them were actually sitting in the kitchen eating dinner. It was like the end of the world. They never ate dinner together and even more it was dead silent. Both Reid and Kat looked up at Caleb.

"What?" Reid said confused

"I said this is bullshit. Look at all of us?" Caleb said

Kat edged back in her seat. It was scary when Caleb was mad. She's swear his eyes would go black, but always figured that it was just the lighting. She always blamed the lighting. With all the research she had been doing before, she thought that it was all just stories and that the stories were making her paranoid.

_Seriously, they aren't witches or warlocks or whatever. I can handle a ghost, but the thought of that? No. Just no. It's make-believe. _

"We're falling apart." Caleb continued

"We're not falling apa-"

"Shut up and listen." Caleb snapped "You haven't seen what we've seen because this rift that's coming in this house? It started with you two."

Caleb gestured between Reid and Kat. The two of them looked at each other then looked quickly away not wanting to hold that gaze.

"We're fine. It's just stress."

"I know what it is." Caleb said "It isn't stress. It's this shadow that's been hanging over everybody and it's going to end."

Reid knew what he meant and he was going to get caught.

"It's a never ending battle man. No one wins." Reid said

Then he got up and left. Kat shrugged a little then followed his example and left. She went and sat by him in the living room. For the first time in a long time she sat by him on the couch. Reid took quick notice of it because she didn't just sit by him. She looped her arm through his and laid her head down on his shoulder nuzzling in close to him while laying her legs on his.

"I know…it's hard. I don't mean it to be hard for everyone. I never even expected anyone to care. I just…I'm dealing with it in just about the oly way I know how." She said in a quiet voice

She didn't look at Reid who was now focused on her while she stared straight at the tv. He brushed her hair from her face. She looked so innocent.

_She isn't living the ideal life a college kid could live. She's nearly eighteen not nineteen like the average student. None of us are living the great life._

"We do care Kat. We ain't stopping anytime soon either." He said

Kat smiled at that. It warmed her a little too. it may have been awkward, but she didn't get this from Cole. This comfort. She could fall asleep comfortably and would have to move an inch. Reid would let her too. He knew that she hadn't been seeing Cole. He knew because that was the part of the blackmail deal. Cole wouldn't be seeing Kat and Reid wouldn't attack him anymore while Cole kept Reid and Caleb's secret from leaking out. He'd heard from sources how Kat might feel about it. She had started thinking about it seriously, but then the thought just started scaring her. She pushed it away quick. Especially after a few too many movies. It was bad period. Who knew what would happen if Caleb found out.

Being this close to her though. It broke him little by little. She didn't even try. She didn't even want him, not like that anyway. Maybe that's what pulled him in. she didn't expect a single thing from him because of who he was. And she knew him pretty well except for the whole man whore thing. He didn't like to think about it. It just gave him headaches weighing the pros and cons of even attempting a single thing with this girl.

_She's your housemate._

_She's like your other half._

_Caleb would kill you._

_She's cute and tough._

_She'd be the dominant one._

_To hell with that!_

_There would be too many secrets_

It went on and on.

Kat exhaled deeply.

"This wasn't supposed to happen you know?" she said "I was hoping for a fresh start or something like that."

Reid scoffed. Kat looked up at him.

"We all hope for fresh starts." He said "We just don't get the expected one. Plus, I tend to think you got a great one. When we find the bastard and deal with it, we get you all to ourselves."

"Reid! You make me sound like a whore!" she exclaimed

Reid laughed a little.

"Nah, you aren't a whore. If you were we'd still love you." He said "You'd be our mascot."

Kat hit him in the arm.

"What do you take me for? I don't want to be like you." She said

"Oh, ow Kat. Don't need to break my heart with your insults now."

She stuck her tongue out at him. Then he made a face at her. they calmed down a few minutes later and Caleb walked out of the kitchen and upstairs.

"He's mad." Kat said

"Don't worry about him. It's not us he's pissed at. It's everything else that's screwing with us." Reid replied

Kat nodded then stretched.

"I'm tired. I'll see you tomorrow." She said

"Want company while you sleep?" Reid asked coyly

"What would my boyfriend say?" Kat said teasingly

"Oh, well, he doesn't have to know everything."

"Goodnight Reid." Kat said then headed upstairs

He watched her go upstairs while realizing that there was something he wouldn't mind exploring with her. He wasn't drunk this time either.

**You're such a lap dog.**

"Piss off." Reid grunted

**You should tell Caleb. If you don't I will.**

"Don't say a damn word or I swear I will find a way to send you to whatever after lifer there is." Reid threatened

There was no reply. Reid then tried to go back to watching tv, but couldn't focus on it and decided to go bed. Things had been nice for a little while.

* * *

><p>Kat's door creaked a little and feet padded across the floor to her bed.<p>

"Who's there?" Kat mumbled barely awake

She was too tired to bother sitting up. There was no answer. She forced herself to sit up and noticed a shadowed figure making its way over to her.

"Who is it?" she asked

"It's just me." Reid said "I couldn't sleep."

Kat sighed.

_What the hell do I say to that? Go back to bed?_

"Try Nyquil." She suggested

Reid didn't listen he just kept getting closer to her bed.

"Reid seriously, go back to bed." She said

"Just for the night." He said

Kat couldn't argue. She was too tired to, especially with a nine o'clock class in the morning. She felt the bed shift as he climbed under the covers next to her. She felt nervous for some reason. The way he'd pressed to stay in here was weird. He clearly wasn't drunk.

She felt him move closer to her then wrap his arms around her waist.

_What is happening?_

His touch was warm to hers. Kat swallowed deeply.

_God, he's shirtless…he feels…_

She didn't want to continue that thought. She could also feel the rhythm of his breathing against the rate of his heart that was beating into her back.

"Kat…"

"Just sleep." She said

She didn't want to hear more. She didn't even want to know what was going on through his mind. At the moment she felt absolutely alert. There wasn't any way she herself could sleep. Then suddenly she felt his thumb move in a repetitive circle on her stomach. The feeling made her stomach quiver. She looked over her shoulder at him.

"What are you doing? If Caleb knew-" she cut herself off

_I'm thinking of Caleb at a moment like this? I should be thinking about Cole._

"We don't have to tell him."Reid said while his face was inching closer to his "Our secret."

His lips graced hers and she couldn't help it. She didn't pull away, but encouraged more as her lips parted while turning to face him now. He pulled closer and she could feel her bare stomach against his. Her palm laid flat on his bare back as she wrapped her arms around him. He had one hand tangled through her hair and the other sliding down her side to her thigh where he had positioned himself in such a way that it had Kat groaning. She wrapped her legs around him. How come this feeling had stayed so dormant? She never knew it was really there till now, till it was tested. She liked it. It was untamed.

Reid's mouth moved down her jaw line and she moaned when he bit her neck. He'd also grinded into her at the same time.

_This isn't fair._

"You can't do this." she breathed

"Why?" he dared ask

There wasn't an answer though. He didn't want to hear it. He felt Kat's nails dig into his shoulder blades as he de-clothed his housemate. It had been something he wanted for a while now. He wanted to touch her this way and make inappropriate sounds come from her. He wanted to place his lips on every part of her. Kat wasn't complaining much on her end.

As he kissed down her body he could hear her breathing get rougher. He kept a hand remaining on her stomach.

"Not yet." He said

Kat couldn't come up with any words. She just bit her bottom lip. When he'd returned to covering her she shivered. She wrapped her naked body around him without any intention of letting go.

"Reid…" she breathed

He liked the sound of that…

Kat shot up from bed right then in a cold sweat. She looked around her dark room and pulled her hair from around her neck. Looking down she sighed in relief. She was still in her tank top and shorts.

"It was only a dream." She told herself as she laid back on her pillow

In the room across the hall Reid sat up breathing heavily.

"What the hell! It's taunting." He said "What kind of dream is that?"

He didn't know what to think. It was so vivid. He could swear that he could feel every part, every curve, and yet still taste her.

Kat just rubbed her neck where he'd given her a love bite in the dream. It was as if he'd actually done it.

"Oh god." They both said simultaniously


	14. Ending the School Year

Kat had covered up the bruise on her neck that morning. She didn't want to contemplate how it had gotten there. It felt awkward that morning as she buzzed around the kitchen for something to eat real fast before class while Reid sat there watching. In actuality she just wanted to avoid confrontation even though it was only a dream. It had felt so real as well as weird.

"Screw it. I'll eat at lunch." She grumbled and just left

She couldn't bare him staring at her any longer. It was as if he might know what she dreamt. And he did. He had the same dream. He didn't say anything. He didn't know what to say.

The day passed as did others and Kat forgot about it since several other things filled her mind while Reid kept wondering if he'd made that dream happen. He wondered if he made her have it as well. In the end he came to the conclusion that he had. There was just no other way, there couldn't have been. He'd even caught sight of her looking at her neck where he then saw the bruise from where he bit her in the dream. It brought over a wave of something sexually unexplainable. It wasn't something he'd felt before.

_What have I done? It didn't get as bad as it could have. We woke up before it could. But god I wanted to._

He wasn't proud of his thoughts. They were carnal. Carnal about his housemate.

Throughout the next few days though Caleb took notice of how Kat had snapped out of her funk that she had been. He'd been tempted to ask how it happened, but decided not to burst whatever bubble had decided to form. Qwerty had started coming over more often like she used to. It was pleasant.

The four of them were going out that night to The Back Alley. It'd be the first night out together in a long while. Each of them looked forward to it.

* * *

><p>"It is so good to be out!" Qwerty exclaimed as her and Kat sat back on a free couch.<p>

"I agree with that one." Kat said as she looked around

"You looking for him?" Qwerty asked

Kat shrugged. She hadn't been able to get a hold of Cole whatsoever. It made her wonder if he'd just been playing her this whole time. She prayed that he wasn't. Qwerty saw a smile form on Kat's lips and looked in the same direction that she was looking in.

Cole made his way over to Kat and held his hand out to her. She took it gleefully. Looking past the two lovebirds Qwerty saw Reid. He was far from happy and Caleb didn't seem all that enthusiastic either. He'd actually stopped Reid from coming over to where they were. Qwerty hated to admit it, but she didn't like Cole all that much either. Something just seemed…off.

The two of them moved over to the dance floor. Kat smiled even more when he held her close. All her worries that she had faded even more then they were. Her night just kept getting better or at least that's how she felt.

Reid who was watching them closely, ready to go into action if need be. He felt his phone go off in his pocket then.

"Hello?" he answered not taking his eyes of Cole

"Hey man." Tyler said "Look, about that thing we did a few months ago. I don't think we did it wrong. I think I know who it is. I just didn't get the signs. It's that chick's boyfriend. Cole I think the name is. I've been going through it in my head nonstop. You need to stop him before she ends up dead."

Reid was ultimately silent for a few minutes. He knew this. And she had nearly been killed once. Reid had also almost caught the guy.

"Reid?"

"Yeah, thanks." Reid said then closed his phone

"Who was that?" Caleb asked

"Just Baby Boy. It's Cole." Reid said

"Damn it. Him too?"

"It's no lie Caleb. We both know that and if he doesn't step off of her soon I'm going to do something I really don't want to." Reid said

"Reid…" Caleb warned

"No Caleb. I'm done waiting around. We know who it is. We need to deal with it and let me tell that I've already talked to him. He knows about us."

"What?" Caleb growled

"Yeah."

Reid wasn't about to go into details of how Cole knew. He didn't want an asskicking for Caleb.

"Hey," Qwerty interrupted "I don't know if you care or not, but I assume you do being you guys seem to really be into taking care of Kat's stalker problem-"

"Get to the point Qwerty." Caleb huffed

"Kat just left with Cole." She said

"Shit." Reid said

Reid brushed past Qwerty out of the joint. He had to find. She'd end up in worse shape than before.

"Reid wait!" Caleb called

"Everything okay?" Qwerty asked

"Not sure." Caleb said following after him "Just stay here."

* * *

><p>They weren't outside. It was as if they disappeared.<p>

"Reid, go check the house."

"What?" Reid exclaimed

"We split up and we'll find them." Caleb said

Reid wasn't happy about this, but nodded. After Caleb saw him turn the corner to go get his car, his eyes turned black and he moved over to a nearby oil puddle on the ground. He needed Reid to be gone because he knew Reid couldn't kill somebody. Reid was a lot of things, but a killer wasn't one of them. Caleb on the other hand had experienced the feeling. It wasn' a good one, but it would save his friend.

_This is going to end. I am sick of it consuming us all._

"Show me." He growled

The puddle rippled suddenly and he saw Kat in the puddle. She was laughing and in the next instant she was crying. Caleb's jaw clenched.

How did things go bad so quickly? It was a valid question. Things had started to get better and then the confrontation came up before all of them. No one thought it would happen.

The vision in the puddle faded and he looked up at where he heard tires squealing. Reid raced out of the parking lot back to the house. Caleb had a feeling that he knew where Kat was. It was a pull. One he had to follow.

* * *

><p>"What's wrong with you!" Kat screamed holding her cheek<p>

Cole had hit her. It wasn't no measly slap. It was a full on punch that nearly broke her jaw. It was sure to swell like a balloon soon.

"I saw you all over him." Cole snapped "I just don't want you around them anymore."

"What? Who?"

"You know who. Reid and Caleb." He responded darkly

"What? They're my housemates." She tried to explain

"And you look like a whore living with them."

Kat looked at him wide eyed. She didn't know what to say. He just called her a whore.

"I can't stand watching you with them all the time." He said

"All the time? Cole we haven't seen each…other…in months." She said coming to a realization "Oh my god. It's you…you're the one."

In an instant she turned to run out of the empty condemned building he'd shoved her in, but he grabbed her by the hair and pulled her back with great force. Kat hadn't seen him like this before. It was like he was a completely different person. She shook in terror. This reminded her of what happened in previous times. She always thought that she could protect herself, but she wasn't so sure she could do it from someone she supposedly cared about. It was all happening so fast.

As she scrambled backwards on her hands and feet the door that she had tried to run for bursted open. Kat screamed as Cole flew backwards.

_What was that? Oh god, nothing touched him! _

She looked back at Caleb who slowly entered the large room. His eyes were black. They were so black that Kat saw nothing else. She kept going back trying to escape him. He was so much worse than her nightmares. She only tried to get away. Cole staggered while he tried to get up.

"So you're one of them too." he said as he spit out blood "That's okay. It won't stop me from being with her."

Kat started seeing polka dots now and was feeling dizzy.

_Can't pass out. They'll kill me!_

She used the wall behind her to get up. And slowly made her way for the exit. She tried to be as quiet as she could. She didn't want to draw Caleb's attention as he made his way towards Cole.

Cole however didn't let her out of his sight. He darted past Caleb and grabbed her. She screamed and he had her by the throat tightly cutting off the sound. With how hard he squeezed it crushed her larynx. She could barely breathe past the grip. Cole spun her around so that she and Caleb now faced each other. He was now frozen in place. Kat tried to look away from Caleb with no success.

"You see what he is? He's evil. He'll kill you. I love you, you know that right?"

Kat's eyes were welling up with tears now. She blinked rapidly with blurred vision and tears ran down her cheeks. She sobbed, but no noise came out.

"I am only trying to protect you." Cole said

Only a small squeak escaped her. Everything was getting darker.

"Let her go!" Caleb bellowed

"Ah, ah Caleb. You really want to test your strength?" Cole challenged "You won't do shit with her in the way."

"Try me." He growled

Kat could barely register anything going on. It was all happening quickly. When she blinked again Caleb was gone from her line of vision.

"Where did the son of a bitch go?" Cole growled

Kat's eyes darted everywhere. Her heart moved so fast that she thought a heart attack would occur. A groaning sound came from Cole and his grip on Kat loosened. Kat took her chance and wriggled free landing on the hard floor from doing so. She grabbed for her throat as air rushed into her lungs. Coughing, she looked up dizzily at Cole who fell to the ground nearby. She tried to scream, but nothing came out. Only a barely knowledgeable squeal escaped at most. Her throat felt as if it were on fire. It was a fire nothing could quench. She looked at Cole who was now nothing more than a cold body on the ground dead. His skin was pale. Kat's head shot up at Caleb who tried to help her. She slapped him away terrified.

"Kat, I'm not going to hurt you." He said as his eye turned back to a chocolate brown

"No." her voice came out raspy "No."

It became real for her. Everything she'd read upon in the library and online, everything she only thought she'd imagined, it was all real. Her body shook horrified and she tried to get away from him. Caleb's own eyes started to water at her retreating form. He didn't want her to be scared. This moment had haunted his dreams once, his friend being afraid of him.

"Kat, don't, I don't want to hurt you. I would never hurt you." He tried "Just let me explain."

He briefly glanced at Cole's dead body. His eyes stared straight ahead at something unknown.

_He was going to kill her. I didn't have a choice! I didn't know that killing someone was so easy, yet so hard._

She still held her throat and sobbed. Before Caleb could really get any explanation out though she was up off the floor and running for the exit.

"Kat!" he yelled

She didn't stop once. She pushed harder than she ever had. Her vision was completely blurred and she had to breathe through her nose because of the surging pain in her throat. As soon as she got back to the house she ran up the porch steps and through the front door right into Reid. He grabbed her by the shoulders and looked down at the frazzled Kat.

"Whoa take it easy. Kat, are you okay?" he asked

She shook her head violently and pointed backwards from the way she came. She just wanted to hide.

"Caleb," she mouthed "there's something wrong with him…"

Then she started backing away from Reid.

"Kat, let me explain." He said knowing exactly what was going through her head.

"You're like him!" she spouted barely and painfully

She nearly tripped backwards and saw writing on the wall.

**Kat they aren't bad. You need to understand.**

"You knew!" she mouthed to Ryan

As wobbly and weak as she felt she turned and ran out the door again flying past Caleb in the process. Both he and Reid shouted after her. Caleb held Reid back from chasing after her. He nearly had to hold him down. The night took her and they both stood there in the street doing nothing. There wasn't anything that could be done. Reid bit back the tears. He didn't want it to happen like this. He didn't want her to go. Maybe he never wanted her to go. He hoped she would return.

None of them saw the writing on the wall.

**Great ending to a great year…**

Ryan dripped that in sarcasm whether anyone knew or not. He wondered what would happen now.


	15. Explosive Change

**Thank you for those following the story this far! It's my break right now and I thought it would be nice to dedicate a full day to an update. I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>Let's Start Their Sophmore Year!<strong>

Reid stayed on campus that summer. He didn't go home like Caleb did. Then again Caleb had a reason to go home. He had Sarah. Sure, Reid could've gone home. He would've gotten to see his best friends along with his family. There would've been the parties and all nighters probably. It wasn't the same anymore though. It hadn't been the same since he had gotten here to begin with. Qwerty called every once in a while wondering if he heard from her. He would have loved to give her good news. She called Caleb every once in a while too.

For the summer he'd gotten a job down at the local mechanic shop. He didn't need the money, but he did need something to do with his spare time. It kept him pretty busy too. He only quit because classes started up in two weeks.

Reid was walking back from the bookstore with his new books in hand when he saw Caleb's car out front with the trunk open. A smile cracked across his face. Reid walked into the house and set his books down on the coffee table.

"If it isn't the man of the house." Caleb said as he came down the stairs and took Reid into a hug

"Yeah, yeah." Reid said shoving him off while chuckling

"Good summer?" Caleb asked

"Busy." Reid replied

Caleb nodded.

"It's good to see you. I mean Ryan is good to have around, but at least I can see you."

Caleb smirked.

"Help me out would you?"

Reid followed Caleb out to the car and helped him with the rest of his stuff. After dropping it on Caleb's floor he made his way downstairs and paused.

"Uh, excuse me? I don't know who you think you are, but you can't just walk into people's houses." Reid said to a red head in a yellow t shirt and shorts with tanned skin that had her back to him.

_Where did she come from? I didn't even hear the door open._

She turned around and faced him. Sunglasses covered her face as she stared at him. They stared at each other for a few seconds. Reid wondered why she looked familiar. He took a step closer. She seemed rigid.

"Hey, what's going on?" Caleb asked as he made his way down the stairs.

"I-I'm sorry." She said

She turned and started walking out. She cursed herself.

"Wait." Reid said "Turn around."

She obliged for reasons she didn't know. Then hesitantly she pulled off her sunglasses. She took a step back whereas Reid took a step forward in disbelief. He didn't think he'd see her ever again, and yet here she was. He wanted to touch her and poke her to make sure she was real. She was alive. Sure enough though, his mouth hung open. It hung open for a young woman he at first didn't even like. Someone he wanted to be gone at one point.

"Kat." Caleb said

She didn't say anything. Truth be told, she didn't know what to say. She had gotten a letter over the summer from the college saying that they were glad to have her come back for a second year while she was spending her time on Terra's farm and she hadn't even applied for the next term.

Kat looked down at the floor.

"I didn't know I had signed up for my sophomore year." She said quietly

Caleb looked at Reid now too.

"I just thought that if you wanted to come back…it was there." Reid explained

Kat nodded. Still no one said very much.

"Have a good summer?" Kat asked

Caleb and Reid went t answer at the same time then stopped. They started again then stopped.

**I had a fantastic summer of basically living in an empty house.**

Kat laughed then as she read the wall. She couldn't stay mad at Ryan forever. She didn't know why he kept that secret from her. Even more she didn't want to start thinking about that now. The hard part was that the secret revolved around the two men across from her. She tried all summer trying to forget about it then she tried to think that maybe they were good. That was harder.

"I…I don't know if you are good." She said "I don't even know if you're bad. What happened then, it's over. I want it to stay that way okay?" she said with her eyebrows rose

Caleb and Reid looked at each other then back at Kat and nodded. She nodded with them and made her way out of the house to her camero.

"So does that mean you're moving back in?" Caleb asked as he followed her out.

"Yeah, I figured it would be useless not to attend the classes I didn't even sign up for at the college I'm not paying for at the moment." she said

Caleb looked back at Reid with a flat expression. Reid just shrugged.

"I gotta say, I like the new hair. It goes well with your personality." Reid smirked

"I wanted a little change. Been wanting it for a while now, even before I met you guys." Kat said

She stilled seemed to be walking on egg shells around them. Caleb couldn't blame her. She didn't know what they were completely capable of. It was something to be afraid of. Kat hadn't even fully shaken off what happened at the near end of her freshman year.

What happened next happened fast, real fast. Kat didn't even have time to stop thinking let alone scream. She went to open the back door and she saw bright orange then nothing.

From Caleb and Reid's point of view they saw her open the back door on the passenger's side and the whole car explode. Without thinking Caleb 'used' and was by her side in an instant and covered her throughout the explosion of the car. Parts went everywhere and Reid was screaming both of their names. When they both looked up Kat stood up quickly and looked around slightly dazed.

"Are you okay?" Caleb asked taking Kat by the shoulder

They were both covered in a little soot.

Kat was still looking around at the parts of her car, which now littered the yard and the street. She shook her and was starting to look pissed.

"Are you kidding me!" she shrieked "That was my car! My! Car! And who wants me dead this time! I didn't do anything!"

She ranted on and on and both Caleb and Reid just looked at her. Did she not notice that by some miracle she was still alive? She was in the dead center of that explosion.

"Interesting start to the new year." Reid said, his face unsure of what to show. He was a little scared now. There was a new threat and it nearly killed her on her first day back. It didn't exactly give him and Caleb a good start with her. Reid looked around expecting to see something nearby, but there was nothing. Not a single trace.


	16. Touchy Subjects

Kat had tried to get over it, but it was so hard.

"That was my baby. Someone murdered my baby." She said

"It's a car Kat." Reid said as he rolled his eyes

"But you don't understand." She said

Reid covered her mouth with his hand now. She ripped it away. She could feel Ryan sitting on her other side.

"Are you going to help us or just sit on your ass?" Caleb grunted as he brought in another box

"Definitely." Reid gasped as if it were for air.

Kat pouted some more. Tyler was moving in here and would be starting classes with them in the next few days being he was officially transferred. They left to get more of Tyler's crap, which awkwardly enough he had more than Reid and Caleb combined. Kat had diminished on some of her stuff being half of it was in the car that exploded a few days ago. She'd told Terra and nearly cried.

Huffing, Kat placed her elbow on her knew with her chin on her palm. She looked around at the house. It looked like a tornado had gone through the place. Looking down at the coffee table for the remote for some tv Kat picked up something else. A leather-bound book.

"Fairytales eh? That's an awkward thing to be just sitting here."

* * *

><p>"Where is she!" Qwerty exclaimed going into the library.<p>

Several heads looked up from their books and notebooks. She looked around and stormed around the library.

"You…" She said scornfully while pointing at Reid.

He looked up a little surprised. His mouth hung half open a little clueless. He scooted backwards in his chair a little.

"Hey Reid, I can't seem to find any books on Santeria. It's a subject I'm beginning to hate." Kat said

Qwerty looked at Kat for a few seconds. Kat didn't know whether to run or to hide underneath the table. Both sounded good with how Qwerty was looking at her.

"You don't call, you don't even write, but you come back and don't even let me know?" Qwerty said sounding hurt

Kat's mouth opened to say something, but she just shut it. She shifted from foot to foot. Qwerty walked up to her right then and hugged her. Kat just stood there frozen.

_She doesn't have to hug me. Why isn't she slugging me instead?_

Qwerty let go nearly three minutes later and let out a deep happy sigh.

"I had to make sure you were actually here so I can do this." she said

Qwerty balled up her fist and hit Kat in the shoulder.

"Ow!" Kat said loudly

"Shhhh!" several students said at once.

Kat glared at each and every one of them while rubbing her shoulder. Reid smirked. It was all he could do since he actually wanted to laugh. Kat glared at him too.

_Blindsided and I don't like it. I mean, c'mon!_

Qwerty hugged her again then dragged her off to an even more quiet corner of the library. It was so private that it was one of the study rooms. She locked the door behind Kat. Kat just stood there awkwardly and fidgeted.

"I understand why you left." Qwerty said sympathetically "Ijust wished you would've called or something to signify that you were actually alive and the guys weren't lying."

Kat looked at her confused.

_Why I left? I left because I found out what the 'guys' really were. They're freaking…uhhh…witchy. Yeah, witchy. That sounds right-ish._

Qwerty sighed and licked her lips. She really didn't want to say it.

"Cole. Him dying and all." She said after a few more breaths.

"Oh, yeah. Right." Kat said

Her eyes fell to the floor where she quickly became fascinated with the carpet so as to avoid Qwerty looking at her. Cole was the person she wanted to forget. He was her ex and she couldn't be happier. He was like her one biggest mistake. Well, second mistake. The first mistake…was unmentionable.

He'd stalked her and then tried to kill her. Caleb saved her life, but in an unconventional way that gave him away. It scared the living daylights out of her, and she could've sworn she was next. She didn't expect to be brought into this kind of thing. Over the summer she'd wiped cold from her memory. The others were harder to do that to. Cole however, was easy. Too easy. She was just glad she never slept with him. That would've made her want to commit suicide not that the thought didn't cross her mind once or twice.

"I don't like talking about it."

"I don't doubt it. I can't believe he was in a car accident. It seemed to happen right out of nowhere." Qwerty said "I can't imagine how you felt. I just wish you didn't have to do it alone is all."

"I'm okay. Really, I'm fine." Kat said "I got to go do meaningless work though."

Qwerty nodded then gave her another hug. It was as if she were trying to fully convey her point. Kat sniffled a little bit then turned and unlocked the door.

"You know those moments you want to be left alone?" Kat asked Qwerty

She just nodded and whispered yes.

"There wasn't a single moment in the past three months that I wanted to e alone. I just didn't feel as if I had anyone."

Kat walked out of the room leaving Qwerty there. Qwerty stood there in utter shock. She didn't know what Kat had been going through let alone what she's going through now. Kat had shared a big part of her already. Qwerty wasn't ready to ask for more.

Kat sat down beside Reid and just put her elbow up while resting her chin on her palm. Reid looked at her and just tilted his head to the side slightly.

"Why so pensive?" he asked

"One; that actually sounded smart and two; a car accident?" Kat said raising her eyebrows at him

Reid's lips pursed and his mind went completely blank of anything to say.

"H-" he paused

She sat back in her chair and crossed her arms waiting for the explanation.

_This oughtta be good. _

"There was no other way." He said finally "Things happened quickly and that was the end result."

"Okay." She said even thought she wasn't particularly happy with that answer.

He knew it too. He could tell by the way her eyebrows arched and her eyes had grown hard and mean. He just looked down at his book then glanced briefly back at her. She still sat in that position for a little bit longer then started packing up her books.

"Don't you think you're overreacting?" Reid suggested.

Kat paused and looked at him.

"I'm hungry." She said "I want to go eat."

"Oh." Reid said with a sudden wave of embarrassment coming over him. He didn't like the feeling either. Kat scoffed and gathered the rest of her stuff and made her way for the exit. She paused near the circulation desk and looked at Reid. She swiveled her head towards the exit in an attitude fashion as if to say 'get your ass moving'. Reid followed and nudged her sideways on the way out.

"Jerk!" she hissed

"Bitch." He shot back

"Ohhhh you little prick." She snarled

The name calling went on to the point where they came up with entirely new hateful words. Half the words matched Kat's stomach and how hungry she was except none of the words were appetizing.

"Dick tart." Kat said feeling impressed with putting two and two together.

"Nice," Reid said impressed himself then shaking his head "wait no, not nice you twat cake."

"Hey! Don't you go mixing cake and my twat in the same sentence. I don't freak that way." She said as she hit him in the arm.

Reid went into fits of laughter as Caleb and Tyler approached them. Kat had texted him to meet them.

"He's ignorant." She said in disbelief

Caleb chuckled. Tyler just scratched his head unsure if he really wanted to ask about what the two were discussing.

"That is old news." He said

Kat half laughed and looked up at the twilight sky. In the distance she could've sworn she heard a howl.

_Are there wolves around here?_

Kat shrugged it off and waited for Qwerty while the others went to find a table to sit at. She was sure she'd get stared at during dinner. If half of the students didn't think she was a new student the other half would be surprised to see her face after the whole Cole thing. Cole was history. The future however, that was something entirely new.


	17. Life Is A Fairytale

**For those who are reading I'm super excited that you're reading this! and I'm also really sorry it took so long to update…but here it is! TaDa!**

* * *

><p>The alarm went off in her ear and in Kat's attempt to turn it off she fell off the bed. She sat up grumbling and hit the off button.<p>

"Yeah, great way to wake up." She grumbled some more.

"Hey Kat!" Reid said from the other side "Time to wake up."

"Asshoole." She mumbled unhappily as she ran a hand through her bed head.

"I heard that." He said and though she couldn't see it, he was grinning from ear to ear.

He went downstairs to see Tyler having already made cereal to eat and was actually finishing it up. Caleb didn't have class till later so he was still asleep. About an hour later Kat had come trotting down the stairs all the while stuffing a leather bound book into her bookbag. Reid looked at her curiously, but she just ignored him and zipped it shut. In fact she ignored his presence period.

"What, are you seriously going to ignore me?" he said ignorantly.

"Why? Is it bothering you?" she asked with her eyebrows arched.

"Not in the slightest." He replied.

"What a horrid liar you are." she half laughed "Ty, let's go unless you want to be late like last time."

"Oh, no." he said "I don't want to be the subject tested on again."

"Then let's go." She said as she was working on getting her hair up. He hurried past her out the door and she followd with Reid behind her.

"You guys will have to come by to see the competition today." Reid said

"Oh, you can finally beat someone?" Kat asked.

"haha," he said unamused "I just figured a little support from my housemates wasn't too much to ask for."

"Oh we give support." Tyler said

"Silent support." Kat finished

"You guys are total douchebags." Reid said "Just unbelievable."

"Don't worry we'll be there. We'll even bring Qwerty." Kat said.

"Yay…" Reid said none too excited.

They separated from there. Tyler and Kat got to class on time luckily though the two that didn't were forced to deal with a rat experiment. Tyler squirmed at the sight of them.

"Oh c'mon Tyler. Are you serious? You can go all witchy or whatever and do god knows what, but you can't handle a rat?" Kat joked.

"Shut up." He snapped.

Kat bit her tongue to keep herself from laughing. Then she pulled out the book of fairytales she'd brought with. She read to herself. As she continued to read, it was like the whole class faded and she no longer heard the professor. She was on sleeping beauty. The story was beautiful, but it made her quite happy that she wasn't the sleeping beauty. No one would wake her.

"Hello? Kat you in there?" Tyler said trying to grab her attention.

"Huh?" she said looking up "Class over already?"

"Uh, yeah. Has been for the past ten minutes." He replied.

Kat looked around and realized that he was right. The whole room was empty. She gathered her stuff and noticed that she hadn't gotten down any of the notes. She look back at Tyler who was now waiting at the exit for her.

"Can I copy your notes later?" she asked.

"Yeah, let's just go before we miss lunch." He said.

"Always thinking about your stomach Tyler." Kat said in a playful huffy tone.

She swung her bag over her shoulder and followed him out. Both of them met Qwerty along the way and sat with Caleb and Reid at a table they had already claimed. People stopped staring now. It was quite nice not to be in the center of attention though it proved to be difficult at times. Last week Caleb and Reid got into a fight and Reid of course had to 'use' and therefore got his ass kicked by Caleb in the end. Kat like to think that eventually Reid would win one if he wasn't pigheaded about how he fought.

Kat looked through her bag and pulled out the fairytales while twisting the stem of the apple she had picked up. She started reading Snow White now. She smirked at how the damsel had eaten a poison apple. Then looking down at her apple she took a bite out of it and savored it. It was juicy and sweet, but for some reason she started to feel a little numb. She swallowed slowly and looked back down at the story. The words were blurry.

"Kat!" Qwerty shrieked panicked as Kat fell out of her chair and to the floor with a thud. Reid who had been sitting beside her landed on his knees beside her. he cradled her head and several people stared.

"We need to get her out of here." Caleb said

"Let's start by getting her to the health center." Qwerty said looking at Caleb like he was a moron.

Reid picked up Kat effortlessly and followed Qwerty. Tyler looked back at the table where the apple laid by the book she had her nose in minutes before. quickly, he picked it up and hurried after the others.

* * *

><p>Reid sat by Kat as she laid there. He glanced over at Caleb who rubbed his eyes and yawned.<p>

"You okay?" Reid asked.

"Yeah, just really tired."

"That's funny." Reid snorted.

"Why?" Caleb asked taking the bait to start another argument.

"You sleep all the time."

"I do not." Caleb snapped. Reid just rolled his eyes. Qwerty broke them apart before the argument got worse. Tyler had come to the health center after swinging by the house to pick up a hoodie after having some of his lunch spilt on him. His nose was sucked into Kat's book.

"What's that?" Caleb asked as he took a seat by him.

"A book of fairytales or something…"Tyler said getting increasingly absorbed "It was what she was reading before she fainted."

In the other room Kat stirred a little. Reid sat up, alert. Her eyes opened a little, but barely. She looked around.

"Hey," Reid said brushing back a little bit of her hair. Qwerty watched without so much as a word. "How are you feeling?"

"My head hurts a little…what happened?" she asked

"I don't know. We were hoping you'd tell us." He said

Kat sat up and scratched her head. She looked around aimlessly then her face lit up in panic.

"My book…oh no." she said getting up quickly then pausing. She held a hand to her mouth then ran for the bathroom and slammed the door shut. A look of disgust and revulsion crossed over Reid and Qwerty's face.

"I am definitely not hungry anymore." Qwerty mumbled.

Reid actually agreed with her. Kat came out a few minutes later and looked at both of them. Color had returned to her face and it was easy to tell thatshe was feeling better.

"Where is it and how long have I been here?" she asked.

"You've been here for a few hours, it was like you just wouldn't wake up and on that second one, what book?" Qwerty said.

Kat sighed a deep breath.

_How could I lose it? This isn't good. I don't know why exactly, but it just isn't…_

"I'll go tell the others." Qwerty said.

Neither of them paid any mind to her leaving. She saw Tyler reading intensely and Caleb had fallen asleep beside him. He fell asleep in class as well earlier on in today. What was he doing that was so exhausting? Qwerty let Tyler know that Kat was awake and he just nodded.

"Hey, I have to go. I'm sorry." She said then turned and hurried out. Tyler watched then smiled a little. The girl was quirky, but was good at lifting a mood. He stood and walked into the small room and saw Kat pacing while Reid watched her. She was rambling on about a book and how what happened to her resembled what happened in what she read.

"You looking for this?" Tyler asked holding up the book. Kat froze for a split second then grabbed it from him.

"Please tell me you didn't read from it." she said in a grave tone.

"A little, why?" he asked a little worried.

Right then a loud howl pierced through and each of them looked at each other with wide eyes of slight terror. Kat looked at Tyler more intently now, but was more focused on his red hoodie.

"What?" he asked looking down and checking to see if anything was on him.

"Give me your hoodie." she ordered.

"What?"

"Now!" she yelled.

Tyler hurriedly shrugged out of it and just as he did Kat snatched it from him and ran out the door with both the book in one hand and the hoodie in the other. She could hear both young men call after her. She looked at Caleb now who was lying on the floor sounded asleep. Her head cocked to the side a little. Then there was a crashing sound and coming in breaking through the window was a large black wolf with matted fur and bald spots. Kat's breathing grew shallow and she eyed the red hoodie in her possession.

"You want this?" she asked it cockily. "Come get it!"

Turning she took off running and both Tyler and Reid saw the dog pass by the room after her. they ran out into the hallway and saw a gaping hole where the entrance was. Then they both looked down at Caleb.

"How is he not awake and why didn't he stop it?" Reid asked in a curious tone with his eyes squinted down at Caleb as if that would change the view.

"I don't know, but you need to go after that thing that chased Kat before it eats her."

"It'll eat her?" Reid asked.

"Have you not read Little Red Riding Hood?" Tyler asked agitated

"Right, going." Reid said and left. Tyler looked down at Caleb and checked his pulse. Then crouching down beside him, he shook Caleb to wake him.

"Come on man, wake up." Tyler said. There was no movement. Tyler shook him harder. Still nothing. "Not good."

* * *

><p>Kat darted through the trees on campus and fell to the ground. Her palms were skinned in the process and she scooted hastily behind the nearest tree. The bark cut into her back, but she paid it no mind. Her heart pounded heavily and she wasn't sure where the wolf was. Looking down at the book though she opened it up to Little Red Riding Hood.<p>

"Couldn't you have read something else that's not so threatening?" she hissed to herself. She read quickly through the story to the hunter that is supposed to save little red and grandmother. She read it and read it again then waited. Nothing happened except that she heard a loud howl and it was close. "Where is this freaking hunter!"

It came out silent. She didn't want to attract the wrong attention.

"Kat!" came a yell. She rolled her eyes.

_Great, now we can both die._

Coming out from behind the tree she went to scream to get the world to come her way so as not to hurt the other person, but she realized that that other person was Reid. He was running straight for her even though the wolf stood between the two. As he got closer Kat saw that he had a look of fury across his face. His eyes were black. The only way she could tell in the dark was because they were blacker than black in the dim lamp light of the lamps scattered around. His fist flung out and a telepathic wave sent the wolf backwards. As it flew backwards it dissipated into what looked like millions of particles and out of the belly came Qwerty. She hit the ground and laid there unmoving.

"Qwerty!" Kat shouted. Reid and she got to Qwerty at the same time. She was coming around. She looked around then at the both of them.

"What happened?" Qwerty asked seeming a little groggy.

"I-" Kat cut off for a moment and made eye contact with Reid "don't know."

Qwerty nodded aimlessly. Kat helped her stand. As the three of them moved to take her back to the house so she could get her foot iced Reid's phone went off. They all paused and all of them could sense something worn with the call that had yet to be answered.

"Hello?" Reid said in the phone

"Reid, it's Tyler, I'm at the hospital. Caleb is in a coma."

* * *

><p>Kat and Reid were both rushing down the halls of the squeaky clean hospital. Both of them were dirt covered from their own encounter. Kat hadn't let go of the book. Tyler was pacing outside Caleb's room. He looked up at the both of them with his eyebrows raised. Kat just brushed her hair from her face as if nothing was wrong.<p>

"Well, the doctors don't know what's wrong. It's like he's sleeping, but nothing is waking him up." Tyler explained as he looked through the window into Caleb's room.

"He must've read through the book sometime." Kat said.

"Why do you say that exactly?" Reid asked

"He's sleeping beauty." Tyler said flatly.

Reid bit back laughter.

_Caleb, sleeping beauty? Oh, that's rich!_

"Here, take this." Kat said shoving the book at Tyler "Get rid of it."

Tyler took the book. He observed it as if it were a science experiment.

"How did you even get this?" he asked

"I thought it was yours." She said "It was lying on the coffee table so I read it. I didn't think anything would happen."

"It isn't mine." He said

"How the hell did it get into our house then?" She asked.

"I don't know, but we'll figure it out later." Tyler said "You guys stay here and watch Caleb. I'm going to do a little research if there is any on this kind of thing."

With that Tyler left and both Reid and Kat took a seat in the chairs nearby. They sat there and just stared into his room.

"I hope he wakes up." Kat said

"I hope Tyler can do something before anything else happens." Reid said

Kat nodded. She hoped so too.

* * *

><p>Tyler walked into the house and saw Qwerty sleeping on the couch with ice on her foot which was bandaged. He tiptoed down to the cellar where the Book of Damnation was. He flipped through the book, but there was nothing on this fairytale book. Tyler looked at the book and wondered if it were possible that he could just burn it.<p>

"Worth a shot." He said to himself out loud.

He went upstairs and grabbed the lighter of the back stove then went back downstairs. He flicked the lighter and the flame lit up. Then grabbing the leather book, he tossed it to the floor. He waited a moment and wondered if this would even wake Caleb. Tyler closed his not wanting to watch even though he wasn't near where the effect of this would take place. Tossing the lighter, it instantly lit the book up, but the flames were purple. Tyler had never seen anything like it. Plus, it screamed in a high pitch squeal. He covered his ears until it died.

* * *

><p>Kat had fallen asleep on Reid's shoulder. He looked to see Caleb moving a little.<p>

"Hey," he nudged Kat "he's awake."

Kat shot up and looked through the window. Caleb looked back at them. Kat rushed into the room first and hugged him.

"We were afraid that we'd have to resort to kissing you or something." Kat said relieved.

Caleb chuckled.

"You two look like shit." Caleb said

Kat gave him a pointed look.

"At least we weren't napping." Reid said.

"What happened anyway?"

"Long story." Kat chimed in as she sat on Caleb's beside.

Caleb nodded.

"Let's get out of here first." Caleb suggested

"Yes!" Kat agreed "I am in deep need of a shower."

* * *

><p>"So nobody knows how the books got in here or anything?" Caleb asked<p>

Kat sat there looking out the window.

"No." she droned. She didn't like this house meeting. She turned and looked at them.

Reid and Tyler shook their heads as well.

"We need to be more careful then. Somebody knows about us." Caleb said

All three of them looked at Kat. She jumped as if being hit then stood up.

"Hey! I didn't do it! I didn't even tell anyone!" she said defensively "I'd be too afraid you'd kill me!"

Then a burst of laughter filled the silent room. Kat looked at them.

"It's not funny." She said.

They continued to laugh, but Kat just fell back onto the couch and crossed her arms over her chest and grumbled to herself.

"It's okay Kat." Reid said in that tone that she hated so much. She glared at him. he just propped his feet up on her and turned on the tv which signaled that the house meeting was over. Kat pulled up homework that had yet to be done. Later she'd go see how Qwerty was. Qwerty didn't remember anything from what happened. It was strange. Then again strange was starting to become normal. Is that normal?


	18. Fun and Games

"Who's excited?" Qwerty asked with a wide grin and her finger nails tapping on the table.

"About?" Tyler inquired since no one else gave an answer.

"Homecoming. Their ding this huge carnival thing on the football field. They do it every year, but this is the first year they're combining it all. Has me excited." She said all in one breath.

"We can tell." Caleb said who only glanced at Kat briefly.

"Whoo?" Kat added.

Reid smirked and swallowed down his laughter before it came out as Qwerty glared at him. He it found it creepy sometimes how she'd glare his way before he could get a sound out. It was as if she knew. It was easy to tell that Reid thought about Qwerty being the one who put the book in the house. Caleb dismissed it, but not completely.

Kat on the other hand had decided to forget about it. She added it to a list of other things she didn't talk about.

"You know what? I'm going to go. Ryan and I haven't hung out in a while and he's probably getting lonely." Kat blurted. All three of the guys's eyes went huge and they looked at Qwerty. Qwerty stared after Kat for a few seconds then turned to the others.

"Good for her. She's moving on from the douchebag." She said.

Caleb, Tyler and Reid couldn't believe Qwerty was able to be that dense right then. It sure saved them from answering questions though.

* * *

><p>"Ryan!" Kat called as she got into the house.<p>

**Oh thank god. I'm so bored.**

"Yeah, well I thought a movie night was in order." She said

**Heard about homecoming eh?**

"Yeah. It's not a big deal." She replied staring at the Ouija board. There was no answer from it. "It's not."

Turning on the tv she rolled her eyes at what just happened to be on. it was Cruel Intentions with Sarah Michelle Gellar. Kat thought about changing it, but decided she was too lazy too.

_Homecoming does not bother me…it can't. All that stuff happened last year. It's not like anything bad would happen again this year._

She felt a cold rush through her feet as Ryan sat at the end of the couch she was laying on.

"I'm fine." She insisted.

She fell asleep a half an hour later and the chill left her only to be replaced by a blanket. She heard whispers, but paid no mind to what they were saying.

Reid just stared down at her.

"You think she's okay?" she asked

"She'll deal with it her way just like we'll deal with it ours." Caleb said.

Reid looked back at her. She mumbled something incoherently and shifted some.

"We don't even know how she deals with it." Reid said

"Yes we do." Caleb said "She acts like it doesn't happen. It's the same thing with when we use. She tries to act like it doesn't happen."

"She can't keep doing that." Tyler chimed in. Then his eyebrows furrowed.

"What?" Caleb asked.

"Have you guys even thought about making her forget? It's not that bad of an idea." Tyler said.

"Are you kidding?" Reid said shocked that Tyler would be the one to bring something like that up. "I can't believe you Baby Boy."

Reid stormed upstairs pissed off.

"Tyler, we can't. We do that and we might as well obliterate her college years thus far." Caleb explained "We have to hope she will come around and she's not doing that bad."

"Yeah, okay." Tyler said.

Caleb sighed a long sigh letting out the whole long day he'd experienced.

"I'm definitely ready for the weekend." He said. Tyler smirked and agreed. They both looked at Kat who slept on the couch. Homecoming was next weekend and they weren't certain if she'd be okay. What they didn't know is that she was an expert in being okay when she had to be. The past four and a half years was proof.

* * *

><p>The next morning Reid plopped down on top of Kat and she let out a heave of air trying to breathe.<p>

"Oh god you weigh a ton!" she breathed "Get off!"

Reid chucked and then Tyler sat on her as well.

"Oh that's a picture moment." Caleb commented from the kitchen "My housemates killing my other housemate."

"A little help?" Kat asked or rather breathed out as her lungs were being crushed by Reid's upper body.

Caleb's eyes flashed black and in an instant both Tyler and Reid were hovering five feet above Kat who now rolled onto the floor. Kat stood up and rubbed her head as she made her way to the kitchen for breakfast. She sat beside Caleb as she fixed herself a bowl of cereal. Caleb was still watching Reid and Tyler suspended in air.

**Now that's a picture moment.**

"Agreed." Kat said with a mouthful of cocoa puffs.

"Let us down!" Reid yelled.

Caleb looked at Kat. she just shrugged and took another bite out of her cereal.

"They can get themselves down." She said.

"Good point and we have class." Caleb said.

"Oh, one second." She said after one more bite. She ran upstairs and got dressed quickly. Then as she made her way downstairs there was a knock at the door and Qwerty's voice could be heard as she came in and a large crash followed. Kat stopped at the bottom of the stairs. Qwerty looked at Reid and Tyler with the same look of raised eyebrows.

"What happened?" Qwerty asked.

"They tend to rough house." Kat said "You get used to it. They just never grow up."

"Right, guys. Go figure." She said.

"And they are buying a new couch since they broke this one." Caleb said who was already waiting by the door with his and Kat's bookbag in hand. Both of them just gave a thumbs up while groaning in pain from the fall. Qwerty just laughed and made a few jokes.

* * *

><p>It was safe to say a new couch was bought. In actuality that was the third couch to be bought. It was a long story a part of which Ryan knew and was silenced on. Kat tried to find out what happened because the couch looked as if it had been obliterated. She gave up though finding it pointless to continue on when he wouldn't speak, and she couldn't hit him.<p>

"We can't keep replacing our furniture." Kat said as she sat back on the green couch.

"Sure we can." Reid said as he plopped down beside her.

"Oh, I forgot you're rich." She said flatly.

"Stop with the poutiness. I thought you'd like the new color."

"I do and that's the problem. It'll get decimated and it's so pretty." She said with a sad face.

"Okay, get up." He said standing up. Kat made no attempt to move. Reid groaned with plenty of exaggeration and pulled her up to her feet. She looked at the couch as if it were already dead. 'You do know it's not alive right? Ryan is more alive than that thing."

Kat gave him a pointed look. Reid put an arm around her neck casually.

"Okay then. Watch this magic trick." He said.

Reid snapped his fingers and him and Kat just stared at the green couch.

"Nice Reid. I think it moved and inch." Kat said sarcastically.

"Believe it or not there's a couch up in your room that looks exactly like this so that you're perfectly happy." Reid said. Kat's facial expression didn't change. "You're happy right?"

"Sure." She said.

She smirked and sat back down on the green couch. Reid sat down beside her, but didn't look away from her.

_She's hard to please. No chick has ever been so complicated. Then again they never knew everything about me. Wait a second. I thinking about her as if I like her and I don't so I shouldn't. Wait! It's a friendly gesture, yeah, friendly…yeah, that's why I had that dream…oh I hate my life._

"Thanks." Kat said.

Reid tilted his head to the side.

"Wow, you almost sounded like you meant it." he said.

"I did mean it." she said looking at him.

"Whatever you say."

Kat elbowed him in the side then pulled out a few books and started working on her homework.

"You really shouldn't do that stuff around me." Reid said as he waved a hand at her books "It makes me look bad."

"Good."

He ignored her comment and asked her about homecoming.

"I'm going if that's what you mean." She said "Cole isn't around to try to kill me this year."

"Good point." Reid said.

"Plus, what could really happen? It couldn't be worse. I me-" Reid covered her mouth right then and was giving her a crazy look.

"You don't say shit like that. You can jinx all kinds of things." Reid exclaimed.

Kat just stared at him blankly and blinked a few extra times to clarify that.

"Are we clear?" he said still not having removed his hand. Kat just licked his hand and he removed it quicker than The Flash in disgust. "Ew. That's gross."

Kat just laughed.

"I can say the same. You don't taste that great." Kat said scraping her tongue along her teeth "I think I'm contaminated."

"Haha, funny." He said looking at her through slits. She smiled widely at his aggravation.

"I'm going to go upstairs and do my homework there." She said. Gathering her stuff she made her way for the stairs. When she got to her room she laid her books by the door and just laid back on the green couch that Reid said was there. It was just as comfy as the one downstairs. She turned on her stereo as she heard a beep from her laptop. Dragging herself over to her desk she noticed someone wanting to video chat with her.

"Well, it's nice to know you're alive." Terra said once the chat invitation was accepted.

"Sorry, there's been changes going on and school work always has me caught up." Kat said.

Terra just smiled and shook her head.

"What?"Kat said confused by the movement.

"You actually have a life." Terra joked.

"Who knew?" Kat laughed.

"So what are your plans lately? Talk to me."

"Homecoming weekend is coming up."

"Oh? Do you have a date for that kind of thing? Do you need a date for that kind of thing?" Terra asked.

"No I don't have a date and the date thing is optional." Kat laughed.

"Ah. Well, I figured you and that blonde boy would be getting on already. Though I must say I thought you would be getting along with the dark haired boy."

"Terra! I can't believe you want boy talk!"

Terra laughed and it made Kat laugh. It was good to hear her voice. Kat missed her.

"I've missed you so much." Kat said

"Same here dear. Though I did want to remind you that this week is the anniversary."

Kat's face fell quickly. It was pale even.

"I know." She said "I'll be there. There's no way I could miss it."

Terra nodded.

"I should go. I have homework."

"Okay, Study hard."

Kat gave a weak smile then ended the video chat. She exhaled deeply and unsteadily on the brink of tears. She thought that she'd be able to hold herself together. Slowly, she pulled out her book and started her work.

* * *

><p>"Anyone know where Kat is?" Qwerty asked.<p>

"We're not her caretakers." Tyler said.

"No shit." Qwerty spat "She wasn't in class."

"She wasn't in my class either." Caleb said jumping in on the conversation.

"So she skipped. She wanted a day off. You guys act like she's a criminal." Reid said.

Caleb looked up at those words remembering the very first time Kat and he had spoken. She'd said she had done something criminal worthy.

_Could the two be connected? I don't want to think so…_

"Maybe your right." Caleb said

"Okay, well I was just wondering if you guys knew where she was. She disappeared last year around the same time. I just thought it was weird." She said

"You keeping tabs on stuff like that is weird." Reid commented.

"I care Reid. I'm sorry that bothers you. She doesn't have many people or didn't you realize that when you she doesn't go anywhere on the holidays and just stays here?" Qwerty said moodily.

Caleb and Reid looked at her now. both of their faces unreadable.

"She doesn't leave? She told us she went home to her family."

Qwerty's face went blank and her eyes went wide along with her pupils.

"I gotta go." She said squeakily.

* * *

><p>Kat walked up the walkway of the house quietly. Before going inside she took off her black high heels. They were cramping her feet now. More than anything she was glad that the drive wasn't that long to make the other suspicious. Pulling out her key she put it in the lock and twisted. It unlocked easily and she went inside.<p>

**You okay?**

Kat saw the board move instantly.

"Yes, the visit was nice." Kat said "I'm going to go get a bath. It's been a long day."

Ryan could hear the sadness in her voice. He let her go though. He could understand that she needed to be alone.

When the others got home though, that was different. They were curious and no ghost was going to stop them. What did stop them however was the crying they heard when they got as far as Kat's door. They could her sniffling too. None of them had enough nerve to invade on it.

She slept that night and cried more in her sleep. The next day she acted like nothing had happened.

"You okay?" Tyler asked.

"I'm fine." She replied with a smile to add to it.

"Oh." Tyler said unsure of how to respond to that. Reid and Caleb gave him a flat look. He just shrugged. If she wasn't saying anything now then they didn't push it unless they wanted a fight along with holes in the wall. Those were avoided now days or at least most the time.

* * *

><p>"I'm looking forward to this weekend." Kat said out of nowhere.<p>

Qwerty grinned.

"Good. Because I need entertainment."

"How am I any good with that?" Kat asked.

"I've seen you at parties."

Kat's lips pursed as she sunk down into her chair further.

"Yeah."

Kat couldn't forget those times. She wanted to, but couldn't. She was pretty glad that her housemates weren't involved with any of those times though. If they had been she'd feel pretty awkward around them because she probably would've made out with at least two of them. Them being them, they'd never let her live it down. Overall, it was just a good thing.

"There is no getting drunk." Kat said making it extremely clear.

"Scratch that. No entertainment."

"Get Reid to give you entertainment." Kat said.

Qwerty's face twisted in disgust.

"I have no idea where he's been and I'd rather take my chances with a prostitute." Qwerty said making Kat burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Reid asked jointing them. Kat looked at him and couldn't hold it in. She started laughing all over again.

After nearly five minutes she quieted down and wiped her eyes where she'd laughed so hard that she was crying. Reid drummed his fingers on the table. They'd sat at this table in the same café for the past year. It still didn't feel old. It was something they all had. He loked around as if it were sentimental then blurted it out.

"So, where were you the other day?"

"What?" Kat asked.

"You weren't in class or anything."

"I didn't know you kept track of me." Kat said with her eyebrow arching unhappily.

"Just answer it." Reid said wanting to skip her getting pissy.

"I wanted a day off from my prick of housemates, jesus." She answered angrily. Then getting up she stormed off leaving Qwerty and him there.

"That's what I told them and they didn't believe me." Reid said. Qwerty got up and left. She wasn't looking too happy either.

"Shit." Reid said slamming his head down on the table.

* * *

><p>"Hey, wait up." Qwerty called after Kat. Kat didn't slow down any. "Where are you going?"<p>

"I was heading to the fairground, which just so happen to be on the football field." Kat answered.

"Ah. I'll come with. Maybe there'll be cute guys." Qwerty said.

"Yeah, we can always hope." Kat half laughed.

Qwerty linked arms with her as they made their way to the field. There had been attraction set up such as the scrambler and the ferris wheel set up. Both of them had decided to get on the ferris wheel first. By the time they got off they made their way to the food stands. As they approached the hotdog stand Qwerty led Kat astray.

"What's going on? I thought we were hungry?" Kat said.

"Uh-huh, but I thought you'd like to avoid certain housemates." Qwerty said.

"Ah, genius." Kat said.

They lost the boys easier than thought through the maze of mirrors that had been set up.

"Wow, I have a fat ass." Kat joked looking at her butt in one of the mirrors.

"I could've told you that. You even have cankles." Qwerty said playing along.

"Look, I need food. I'm starving here and that funnel cake smell covering the field is making it worse." Kat whined.

"You are such a guy when it comes to your stomach." Qwerty said as they left for the stands yet again.

Kat ordered extra powdered sugar on her funnel cake. When she went to take a bite she burned her tongue.

"Good going moron. It didn't just come off the burner." Qwerty said sarcastically.

Kat flipped her off.

"Well, look who we have here."

Both Qwerty and Kat rolled their eyes and turned to see the last people they wanted to see.

"You don't look happy." Caleb said.

"You don't say?" Kat said venomously.

Caleb exchanged looks with Tyler who just shrugged cluelessly as he tended to do.

"Stay out of my business." Kat said to them. With that she stood and walked off. Both Caleb and Tyler glared at Reid then went after her.

"Kat, wait." Caleb said.

"No Caleb. I thought there was some privacy or code or whatever since I came back." Kat snapped.

"We told you our secret." Caleb said.

"And what makes you think I have one! I skipped classes for a day off?" Kat scoffed right then "You need better evidence. Your trust issues are ridiculous."

Then as she went to storm off she ran into someone and knocked them over. Kat looked down and saw it was an older woman dressed as a gypsy. She looked frazzled as she looked back up at the two.

"Oh my." She said.

"I'm so sorry." Kat said offering to help her up.

"Oh no dear. It is quite alright." She said taking the help.

The woman didn't let go of her hand at first though. She held on with a slightly twisted look on her face.

"I kind of need my hand back." Kat said politely.

The woman let go, but didn't look away. Caleb rested his hands on Kat's shoulders protectively.

"Why don't you come for a reading? You can bring your friends." She offered.

"I don't' know…I don't really believe in that kind of stuff." She lied.

"Nonsense. It doesn't matter if you believe. It believes in you…if it didn't it wouldn't waste it's time and neither would he." She said.

"What?" Kat asked slightly confused now. The woman took Kat's hand now and pulled her along to a tent. Kat just looked back at Caleb who followed and the others who were catching up.

Once inside the tent she sat across from the woman nervously. She still had Kat's hand and was looking at it closely.

"You know things. A lot of things that you're not supposed to." she said "There's a lot of darkness in you past, your present too and even your future. It's so dark, but there's a light…it's small and hoping that you'll see it. there's a stranger that threatens that though…a dark handsome stranger who look like a saint. It's not the first time though, not at all. This is a return trip."

Everyone was slightly shaking except Kat. She just looked at her confused and shrugged not knowing what all that had to do with her.

"Wait a moment…you. You're not whole…this is only half of you." The woman looked up at her now, her eyes pitch black.

"Oh god! Caleb!" Kat said frightened.

Caleb pulled her back out of her chair and the light in the place went out.

"Where's the other half of you child...you're not whole…" the woman trailed off.

The lights flickered on and the woman was gone. Kat was crying in Caleb's arms while Tyler and Reid were as pale as ghosts.

"That was awkward." Qwerty said "You guys can't believe that bullshit can you?"

She saw Kat.

"Maybe I should get her home. She's really shaken. You all look shaken." Qwerty said.

"We'll get her home." Caleb said "Are you going to be alright?"

"Oh yeah, it's nothing I haven't heard before. Then again it wasn't directed at me was it?" She said.

"Right, good night detective." Reid said snobby-like.

Qwerty looked at him shiftily as she left. For nearly twenty minutes, but what felt like twenty hours the four of them sat in silence. Then Caleb's phone went off making them all jump.

"Hello?" Caleb answered

*Caleb, what happened?*

"It's Pogue." He told the others "What do mean?"

*I don't know, one minute I'm in the library studying and in the next I'm on the floor writhing from voices in my head. They were talking about some weird darkness.*

"Shit. We don't know. Some psychic went nuts on Kat." Caleb explained "We can't make much of it right now."

*Keep me updated.*

"Sure thing."

The line went dead from there.

"Let's get out of here." Reid said "This gives me the creeps."

"I second that." Tyler and Kat said simultaneously.

* * *

><p>When they'd made it back to the house no one went to bed right away. They all sat in the living room on the brand new couch quietly. They didn't even turn on the tv.<p>

"What did she mean when she said you weren't whole?" Tyler asked out of the blue "You look whole to me."

"I'm tired." Kat said. Getting up she moved for the stairs, but Caleb stopped her by appearing in front of her and blocking her way up the stairs. "You shouldn't use Caleb. I may not know much right now, but I know that it's not good for you."

"Answer his question."

Kat was near tears again.

"I was a twin." She said


	19. The Twin

**Sorry for the wait, not sure there's anything else I can say except that Finals got in the way or else I would've updated sooner.**

* * *

><p>"What?" Caleb asked.<p>

"Yeah." Kat said as she glanced at the door. She thought about making a run for it.

"Why haven't we met the better half then?" Reid asked.

"Because she's dead Reid." Kat said "She was murdered by my own father."

Everyone looked at her shocked now.

"Yeah, she's also the reason I was in prison for three and a half years." She said unable to stop herself.

"It was for murder?" Caleb asked.

"Yes." She admitted.

"Damn it Kat." he growled.

"What happened?" Tyler asked.

He was looked slightly on edge whereas Caleb was on the defense. Reid was the only one not affected. It was as if he was worried.

"It was after my mom died. My dad had taken to drinking…" she said as she started to relive the memory

_Katherine didn't want to go home. She never wanted to go home anymore. Dad drank and he took it out on her she did what she could to hide the bruises and most of all protect Whitney. Whitney hated hiding in the closet and listening to the things that dad did to Katherine. She'd cry and sleep in Katherine's bed those nights which was almost every night. She'd whisper about the places they'd go when they were old enough and how they'd get away from him. She'd wipe away all the blood. The only reason Katherine put up with it is because she wouldn't dare let him touch Whitney._

_Every day after school Katherine would be home to deal with dad first because of Whitney's school activities. She knew that when high school came along Whitney would be the head of student council, but for right now being thirteen she would conquer middle school. Everyone took them for a pair anyway. _

_Katherine had gotten home a little late one day though. She saw dad lying there asleep in his lounge chair with a beer in his hand and some game show on. She gritted her teeth in just made her way to the kitchen for something light to eat, but froze completely in the doorway if only for a few seconds before running in and slipping in the larger puddle of blood on the tile floor._

"_Whitney!" Katherine screamed. _

_Whitney lay on the floor motionless. Katherine held her sister in her arms crying hysterically mumbling to Whitney's head for her to wake up. She rocked back and forth. Everything that she loved was in her sister and she was gone. Katherine saw where her sister had been struck. It was a blow to the head because of the dining table or at least that's what the hair follicles and blood dripping from the corner of it suggested._

"_I love you." Katherine whispered "I love you so much. It shouldn't have been you, not you."_

_Katherine's head turned slowly at the sound of a grumble from the living room. Her gaze turned deathly. Slowly and gently she laid her sister down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. She caressed her cheek and sucked in a deep breath. Then standing Katherine opened a drawer nearby. She looked in and pulled out a kitchen knife. She could see her reflection in it along with her sister's blood from when she tried to wipe her endless tears away. Katherine gripped the handle of it tightly and walked into the living room where her father still napped._

"_You killed her. You killed her and don't even care." Katherine said with complete hate._

_He woke at that and didn't see anything. _

"_What? Who's there? Katherine if that's you start making some damn dinner!" he shouted._

"_It is me!" she screamed then slammed the blade into the side of his throat. The sound of him gargling on his own blood wasn't enough for her. She pulled out the knife and shoved it in his chest then let go of it. She went back to the kitchen and cradled Whitney. _

"The police came knocking an hour later. The neighbors had heard screaming." Kat said.

She didn't look at anyone.

"I tried so hard to protect her." she shook her head "The judge, terra asked me if I had any last words before my ten year sentence. I just yelled that the bastard deserved it. Terra visited me that Saturday and said she couldn't agree more. She visited every Saturday since. She also got me into school here."

"I'm sorry." Tyler said finally.

Kat only nodded.

"It was our birthday a few days ago. I went to go see her." she explained further.

Caleb had moved to the couch and sat down.

"I'm going to go. You let me know on your plans with dealing with a criminal." She said to him.

Kat left and the only thing to be heard was the soft click of the front door.

"You shouldn't have let her leave." Reid said "What she did is in the past."

"It doesn't stop what she did." Caleb said.

"You're one to talk." Reid scoffed.

"She killed somebody."

"And you killed Chase!"Reid yelled.

"He tried to kill Sarah." Caleb justified.

"And her dad killed her sister."Reid said.

Reid shook his head after that and walked out slamming the door.

* * *

><p>Kat sat on a couch underneath the stairs in the Back Alley. The place was loud, but not loud enough to disrupt her thoughts like she'd hoped. She wished that she would've dismissed the accusations and the way Caleb pushed her to tell them what she was hiding.<p>

_I should've told him to piss of. It was my business! My sister! Not his._

She dismissed anyone that came up to her. She'd completely let out the one secret that ruled her life.

"Room on that couch for one more?"

"No, so go blow yourself." She said rudely.

"Too bad."

Reid sat down beside Kat. He could see her eyes brimming with tears.

"I miss her so much." She said.

Reid couldn't say he understood. He was an only child. So he just wrapped his arms around her and pulled her onto his lap where he just held her there. She broke down into a sob.

_I would hate being her. A whole part missing. How the hell do you recover from that?_

Her face laid in the crook of his neck as she cried. Reid just kissed her forehead and held her. She clutched his shirt tightly making her knuckles pale white.

"I'd be lying if I said things will be okay." He said barely above a whisper.

* * *

><p>"Caleb, you can't make her leave. House vote if it comes to it."<p>

"House vote?" Caleb scoffed.

"Yeah, and it's two against one. She had a bad past and with how you reacted it's no wonder she didn't say anything about it. It's private." Tyler grounded out.

"And what does Ryan say?" Caleb asked

**I've known since she moved in. so, yes I think she should stay. She only delivered revenge that was well deserved.**

"Everyone's against me." Caleb said.

"No one is against you. You just can't see past the fact that we were all fine when we didn't know about this. It was the past. Think about the first time you met her." Tyler said

Caleb did. She had come in looking for a place to stay desperately because there was nowhere else. She knew well how to take care of herself. He chuckled thinking about the dislike she had for Reid, Tyler and her having become studying partners, then himself and her teaming up against Reid and Tyler when they wanted to try and rough house.

"Fine, but there's a new rule under this roof." Caleb said "No more secrets."

* * *

><p>"Kat," Reid didn't even know what to say that would calm her.<p>

A new song had come on and it was a slow song, one that tamed down the crowd in the place.

"Everything." She said finally.

"What?" he asked.

She looked up at him and sniffled.

"That's the name of the song. It's by Lifehouse." She said.

Reid wiped her cheeks and nodded to what she was saying. Kat didn't see the usual boredom with consoling her. What she saw shocked her, but she was lucky it didn't show. He cared…or at least that's what she thought.

"What are doing?" she asked.

"Making sure a friend is okay." He answered "Why?"

"Because something tells me that you don't do that regularly." She laughed "And plus, I'm a complete mess and you don't like messes. I've seen how you deal with them, it never ends nicely."

"Hey, one, their only girls, two-"

"I'm a girl." She interrupted.

Reid got a disgruntled look on his face. She smiled a little knowing that it annoyed him when interrupted.

"Two, you live in my house so I think I know what you look like as a mess." He laughed.

She laughed as well and the dream she'd had before her freshman year came back to her. it had always been in her head, but she had shoved it to the back so she didn't have to think about it and she hadn't thought about it, till now.

"True." She admitted "Thanks."

"Wow, you actually sounded like you meant that." He said.

"I have my moments." Kat shrugged.

She hadn't moved from his lap though she was feeling a bit better than she had been and Reid made no effort in moving her even as one arm laid over her lap and the other still held her around the waist. Neither of them had really taken notice of it though to others who passed they looked like they were in a lovers embrace.

Kat mouthed the words to the song and her heart still sped up with the tempo as the lyrics were reaching the peak. Her head laid on his shoulder now and she wondered if she'd have to move soon. She knew that she should, but she didn't want to.

"Kat," Reid tilted her head up a little and her heart sped up for a new reason.

_Oh no. if this happens Caleb will have even more of a reason to boot me out and I would help him. It's not him. He's the one I wouldn't bring home to parents…if I had any. This is wrong and he's getting closer and I'm not going to be what he wants…he's going to toss me like those other girls…_

"What if I told you a secret of my own." He said gulping.

"You, secrets?" she said "I figured you have none being you shared a big one already."

"No, what me and the other guys are? That's not it. It's what people assume, even here." he said "It's ridiculous too. Everyone thinks that I toss girls away like cheap change and I let them. It's easier to hide that way."

"Hiding…that's what you're saying?"

"Yeah."

"And here I thought it was all part of your image." She said "You're you…people are stupid that's that."

He smirked and was soon finding himself staring at her lips.

"You're not scared?" he asked

"Should I be?" she asked

"Maybe, cause I am." He said right before he leaned down a little and his lips met hers.

_Oh shit. This isn't a dream. He actually did that and is still doing it…I hope he doesn't stop._

Underneath the stairs he kissed her and held her there and she only encouraged it. She held him there and found that this had gotten her to forget about her troubled past that Caleb begrudgingly forced her to relive. It felt good. She hadn't felt this good in so long that she couldn't even remember. He kissed her and he kept kissing her and holding her. And the music in her ears made her wonder if it was true really true.

**You're all I want**

**You're all I need**

**You're everything, everything**

_Would you tell me how could it get any better than this._

The thought was simultaneous.


	20. It Couldn't Get Any Worse

Caleb had fallen asleep on the couch long after Tyler had gone upstairs to sleep as well. He wanted to be there when she walked back in so he could apologize. When he awoke to the opening and closing of the front door he only saw Reid walk in. Reid didn't say anything. He glanced at Caleb then started up the stairs. He paused for a moment.

"She's staying at Qwerty's tonight. She'll be back tomorrow." Reid said quietly

Caleb rubbed his eyes and sighed. Reid didn't wait for him to say anything. He'd stopped waiting a long time ago.

"Reid," Caleb said "I'm sorry."

Reid paused if only for a split second then continued to his room. He had too many thoughts on his mind. For example, what happened earlier on tonight. It wasn't supposed to happen. He wasn't even supposed to have a liking for her. Even Caleb had said so. He said that the reason she'd stayed was because she had no interest. It was against the rules of the house, but now that she knew more than she was originally supposed to she still wouldn't be able to leave.

_What if it doesn't work out? Would it be awkward? She would hate me. _

Reid went through this thought process all over again. It wasn't the first time. It had happened another time too.

_She knows everything though. Everything…Shit._

* * *

><p>"Whoa, what?" Qwerty said with her mouth gaping and her intent on rehearing what just came out of Kat's mouth.<p>

"It's not like it's anything serious. It just happened. I was feeling bad and he was actually being…nice and-"

"Him, nice. It's strange. We're not in the twilight zone are we?" Qwerty asked.

"I don't know, but it makes me wonder. I never thought for one second…" She stopped herself "Okay, maybe one second, but nothing more than that. It was nothing."

"Oh, I figured it was coming. I honestly don't see him wasting his time on any other chick." Qwerty said "I mean seriously wasting as in actually talking to them like a real human being not someone who's only there for entertainment."

Kat shook her head.

_It's not like it's possible. Well, he's not heartless, but it's not like it's serious…haha serious. _

Kat put her hair up in a ponytail.

"Whatever. All I know is that it's not serious." Kat said "I shouldn't have even let him do it. There are house rules and one of them is that you don't hook up with a housemate."

"Rules are meant to be broken." Qwerty said.

"Why are you gung ho on this again?" Kat asked not that she really knew to begin with.

"He's like the Grinch, you're his heart."

"That's actually kind of gross."

"Yeah, I didn't think that analogy all the way through."

"Look, there are reasons okay?" Kat said "Plus, they know."

"They know…"

"I'm a murderer." Kat said quietly.

"Oh shit. What happened?"

"I basically told you. Caleb wants me out of the house and I didn't even need him to tell me that and in the end I ended up having a make out session with the last person in the world I expected to have one with." Kat said.

"That makes sense." Qwerty said "You should've started with that. Instead of the make out session."

"I'm sorry if I'm too scatter brained right now." Kat scowled.

Qwerty put her hands up in surrender.

"I just…want to breathe." Kat said.

"Don't we all." Qwerty said.

Both of them laid back in the bed and sighed.

"So what are the chances of us sleeping tonight?" Qwerty asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Slim to none."

"Thought so. Breakfast?" she offered.

"Definitely, I'm starving."

"You're always starving. I swear sometimes you're a guy. Then I remember you only live with them." Qwerty laughed.

Kat laughed too. Qwerty wasn't wrong about that. Getting up, Kat put on her shoes and wait for Qwerty who always needed to take an extra fifteen minutes. Kat couldn't remember having to ever take an extra fifteen minutes.

"C'mon, the sun is faster than you." Kat complained.

Qwerty came out and made a face at her as she slipped on her shoes and grabbed her keys. Kat made a face back and laughed. Kat followed her out closing the door.

"Where we eating?" Qwerty asked.

"Any place that is open at five in the morning." Kat answered.

"Right, McDonald's it is." Qwerty said.

Kat followed as Qwerty got into a silver car. It shocked her a little.

"I didn't know you had a car."

"Yeah, I don't use it much being I live close to the campus." She chuckled.

The look on Kat's face was rather funny. It was as if she were reminiscing about her own car which was now in pieces and in a junk yard.

Qwerty pulled out and drove off. Kat put on the radio.

"So…" Qwerty trailed off.

"So?" Kat inquired.

"Oh c'mon. You didn't dish nearly enough on what went on with you and Reid."

"You just want to live your fantasy through me."

"Exactly so retell it."

"I thought you hated him."

"I do hate him, but not his looks." Qwerty said.

Kat scoffed at that.

"Make your own story okay? It probably won't ever happen again since I don't plan on being distraught ever again." Kat said.

The two of them were the only customers in the fast food joint besides two others who looked as if they just got the night shift. Kat couldn't help, but stare at them. They seemed so out of place. Each of them wore a black trench coat and had a black briefcase that sat directly beside them. There weren't any office building around here, not the ones they seemed to be dressed for. This was a college town. Kat glanced past Qwerty at them.

"Kat, they're not that attractive. You don't need to stare." Qwerty snickered.

She was right about that. One had a scar that went from the corner of his right eye across his nose and down to the left side of his jaw. His stare was mean no matter where is pointed. The other one that sat across from him had a pony tail. She didn't see his face, but her intuition kept telling her that something was wrong with them and that her and Qwerty should leave. It was safe to say her appetite was gone.

"Qwerty we should go." Kat said.

"We just got here." she complained.

"Bring your food with us." Kat gritted.

"What's with you? I don't mean to sound all-" she made a big hand gesture "But you've been really weird and getting weirder."

"Can you just trust me?" Kat said.

"Fine." Qwerty huffed.

Kat felt it all happen as if it were slow motion. Qwerty stood and then so did the two business men behind her. When the one with the ponytail turned around and had eyes darker than the darkest depths of the ocean. Kat gasped. A bright flash of light engulfed her vision.

"Qwerty get down!" Kat screamed as she shoved her friend to the linoleum floor.

Qwerty screamed as she saw Kat fall to the floor. Kat held her arm as it gushed blood from it. In the adrenaline rush Kat avoided another bright flash. She didn't know who they were let alone what they were, but she'd remember to ask questions later. Letting go of her arm she grabbed Qwerty from the floor and jumped through the shattered window behind them. Kat shoved her into her own car and jumped into the driver's seat. Both girls screamed as the one with the scar on his face suddenly jumped on to the hood of the car.

"Keys! Where are the keys?" Kat exclaimed terrified.

Qwerty fumbled getting them out of her pocket and handed them to her. Kat fumbled with them as she put it in the ignition and started the car.

"You won't get out alive." Scarface replied.

"Blow me!" Kat yelled as she put the car in reverse and hit the gas. Then she put it in drive and stomped the gas again only for Qwerty to scream and her hit the brake. Ponytail stood in their way of getting out of the parking lot. He had his arms wide open. His eyes were still black. Qwerty looked over at Kat who looked scared and was shaking.

Then Kat hit the gas again and propelled toward him without any intention of stopping.

"Kat!" Qwerty screamed as she covered her head.

The man clapped his hands together as he stood in front of them and they drove at him and all of the windows busted around the two shattering the glass into thousands of pieces. Kat took her hands off the wheel, but not her foot off the brake and covered her face. She could feel the glass cut her arms then she felt the hard thump of hitting the man. She dropped her arms in time to turn before running into the curb. She was breathing heavily and didn't once take her foot off the gas as she drove straight back to the house. She looked in the rearview mirror often to see if they were being chased.

"K-Kat you're bleeding." Qwerty said numbly looking over.

"Yeah, I know. I'm okay. Are you okay?" Kat asked.

"I don't know. We were attacked and I can't even describe how we were attacked." Qwerty said "What happened?"

"I don't know, we're going to see people who might be able to help us with that." Kat said not taking her eyes off the road.

* * *

><p>"Anyone here!" Kat yelled as Qwerty was helping her into the house. Qwerty locked the door behind them.<p>

Caleb had already awoken. He'd become in tune with the feeling of alertness so he was already pulling a shirt over his head as he rushed down the stairs. He saw Kat and swept her up quickly and went to the kitchen where he set her on the counter.

"There's a first aid kit under the sink." Caleb said to Qwerty who also had minor cuts from the windows busting in simultaneously. She nodded wordlessly and went to go grab it. Caleb looked over Kat's arm.

She was trying to get up, but he wasn't letting her move.

"You're injured you shouldn't be moving around." He said.

"It's my arm Caleb, not my legs." She snapped while hopping off the counter.

She went back to the living room and paused. Tyler had just gotten downstairs and Reid was following.

"How do you open it?" she said pointing at the bookcase.

"Kat, what happened? You have to calm down and tell us." Caleb said spinning her to face him.

"Caleb, we were attacked!" She exclaimed "They tried to kill us and they had your eyes! Open it! The answers have to be down there right? It's where you keep the secret?"

Caleb glanced up at Reid and Tyler. Tyler's eyes changed and Qwerty started crying all over again.

"They're like them Kat!" She cried.

Kat looked back at her friend then at them.

"I try to believe they're not." She told her then ran down the stair to the dark cellar.

Reid scratched his head still waking up before following. He looked at Qwerty and cursed to himself. All of them followed her down there. Candles were already lit all over the place as if they were built into the room. The place seemed like a dungeon of sorts. Caleb helped Kat search the bookshelves. Kat wasn't even sure as to what she was looking for, but Qwerty was busying herself trying to fix her wound up along with her cuts. Afterwards Tyler took care of her.

"They wore suits, black suits. The kind you see in office buildings. One had a huge scar on his face…the other a ponytail. Their eyes…they were so black. They shot some sort light at us…" Kat said aloud "I thought you guys were the only ones."

"We thought so too." Caleb said as he was going through and old book.

"Could these have been the assholes who put that book in the house for us to find or possibly had Kat's car explode?" Reid asked.

Both Kat and Caleb paused and looked at him.

"That sounded intelligent." Kat said.

"We should be worried." Caleb chimed in.

Both of them laughed for a moment.

"You laugh?" Qwerty croaked "You laugh when we were nearly killed by psychopaths and they're like them!"

"Qwert, no. They're not. Think about it. You're friends with them as much as me. They haven't killed either of us." Kat said.

"They're waiting…" She said.

Kat grabbed Qwerty's face in her hands.

"No, they're not. They saved my life more than once. Remember Cole?"

"Oh god, they killed him!" she cried

"No, he tried to kill me. He was the one stalking me. He tried to kill me. When I found out I was scared too. Why do you think you couldn't reach me during the summer? I was trying to hide. I thought they were bad too. They can help." Kat explained.

Qwerty kept shaking her head. She didn't want to believe it.

"Qwerty, you have to believe me."

"Why wouldn't you tell me?" she squeaked.

"Because I knew you'd be scared like I was. I thought I was protecting you as my friend. Weird things have been happening and I thought that if you didn't know you wouldn't get involved."

"You were supposed to be my friend." She said.

"Qwerty, it was my fault." Reid jumped in "All of ours really. We didn't allow her to say anything."

"Shut up." Qwerty snapped at him.

He gulped. Qwerty rocked herself. Kat didn't know what else to do so she went back to looking at the bookshelves.

"Kat," Tyler said pausing near her.

She didn't pay attention.

"Kat," he said "stop."

"What?" she said.

He looked down at her arm where she'd been hit with that light/fire. The cloth was torn and she was bleeding. Blood was up underneath her fingernails where she'd been scratching it. She hadn't even realized that she had been. She exhaled deeply. Looking over she saw Caleb looking at a book. She moved over to see what he was looking at.

"Book of Damnation." She said aloud "Yeah, that's not creepy."

"It's strange." Caleb said neverminding her sarcasm.

"What?" Reid asked.

"There's been things added to it. There's writings that I haven't come across before."

"I put in the one about the book if that's what you mean." Tyler said.

"No, I know about that. There's these other things." Caleb said.

Kat blinked rapidly trying to the words. She backed away slowly, her arm moving up to her arm and scratching it. It felt warm and like it was spreading. Tyler moved in beside Caleb to read the new contents of the book. Reid however saw Kat, sweat creeping down the side of her face and her breathing becoming heavier. Her nails dug into her arm. It was as if it were causing the sudden heat wave. Then suddenly her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she collapsed.

"Kat!" Qwerty screamed.

Reid rushed to her side and held her up.

"She's burning up." Reid said as he felt her forehead "Caleb, she needs a hospital."

Picking her up, he hurried up the stairs with Tyler on his heels.

"Call me when you get there!" Caleb yelled now standing in the middle of the room.

He heard the front door slam and the car pull out and speed off. He looked back at Qwerty.

"I'm sorry you were dragged into this. This was the last thing we expected to happen. It was all supposed to be normal." He told her. Then turning his eyes turned pitch black. Books all over the room pulled from shelves and started flying around the room. Qwerty squealed and crawled to a corner. Caleb's hands were held out as he took in new and old information. "Those people, they're like us only more powerful. They take other people's power thinking they can't handle it. They 'invest' in it."

He stopped. The books settled back into their normal spots.

"What are they called?" Qwerty asked.

"I don't know. There's no name, not even a face." Caleb answered "They must've thought you and Kat were like us."

* * *

><p>"She's going into shock!" a doctor yelled in the ER room "Her body is convulsing!"<p>

Reid and Tyler watched through the window as the doctors tried to hold her down and Kat just screamed and tried to rip at her arm.

"Call Caleb." Tyler told Reid.

Reid only nodded and walked off while pulling his phone out of his pocket.

* * *

><p>Caleb was already in his silver Porsche with Qwerty and on the way to the hospital. She was starting to get used to them better than Kat was. She didn't run. She was just ultimately silent. She sat as far away from Caleb as she could in that car. Caleb had called Pogue and told him to keep Kate close. He explained the attack and then also asked for him to check on Sarah. Pogue told him to be careful.<p>

"We're as careful as we can be." Caleb said before hanging up.

* * *

><p>Tyler remained and watched as Kat slowly became motionless. His heart pounded hard in his chest as he watched helpless. The doctors used paddles on her and it only made her scream in pain, but not help. Nothing helped. The loud solid beep Tyler had heard once before when his own mother passed away reached his ears.<p>

_How had things gotten so bad so quick?_

She died.

**I know, not a good place to end it, or is it? Review!**


	21. No Turning Back Now

"I don't understand…One minute we're having a good time at homecoming and the next she's gone." Qwerty stuttered.

"Qwerty, you have to calm down." Tyler said getting annoyed quickly.

"Calm down? She's dead!" she exclaimed looking through the window in which her best friend once was "This isn't something you can just fix. Those guys killed her with whatever they hit her with."

Tyler looked at Caleb who stood behind her. Caleb like the rest of them was having problems recognizing the fact that she was gone. He looked as if he'd just been tazered and was now numb from it. They'd already shipped her to the morgue. Reid had gone AWOL. Qwerty was shaking.

"Caleb." Tyler said still replaying what Qwerty had just said through his head.

Caleb looked up blankly. Tyler handed her off to him and the two of them just took a seat in the seats across from the hospital room. Tyler walked off barely able to keep a handle on his thoughts. Turning the corner that led toward the elevator he 'used' then walked through the door close by that originally led into a utility closet thereby him walking into the morgue instead.

_So I've never seen a dead body before…not really. I wouldn't even look at my mom's body, but maybe she won't stay dead…_

Tyler looked over at the metal gurney that sat in the middle of the room with the large surgical light overhead and shivered.

_This is so wrong._

Then looking over he saw multiple coolers which he imagined to be for the dead bodies. Rushing over he searched the names on each one until he found hers. Gulping, he opened it and pulled out the sliding metal bed inside. It came out and stopped with a loud clink. Tyler pulled back the sheet over the body that laid on top of it down to her shoulders. They had cleaned up her arm before putting her in there. Tyler stared at Kat for a few minutes. Now he wasn't sure if he could do it. all he knew was that he had to try. He'd seen what it was like for someone to die and he didn't want that to be an option.

"Kat." he breathed as his thumb brushed along her forehead tenderly.

Tyler's eyes turned dark and his only focus was on her and her not dying. As his touch didn't fall from her he started to shake. Blood trickled from his nose, but he still didn't stop. He knew that this had happened because of them, because she knew them. He didn't want to give up, not yet. She didn't move or even breathe.

"Please." He muttered when he'd finally let go and his eyes faded back to blue.

Tyler slid to the floor and cradled his head in his hands. She was really gone. He sniffled as he sat there.

On the gurney however, he didn't see her arm as it had completely healed with only a scar remaining.

_What's going on? I don't understand…it's so dark. Somebody wake me up!_

* * *

><p>"How could this happen? How could you do that to her? I know I don't understand what you people think you are and I don't plan to, but how could you let her be in this. You now know what she's been through; she wanted nothing more than to start over trust me I know, I listened to her. You ruined it…" Qwerty snarled at Caleb now putting her tears aside for anger "You killed her."<p>

Caleb believed her too. She knew everything and even continued to stay when he should've listened to his instincts and have her leave. Now she was dead. Reid had gone to god knows where. He was taking it just as hard. Caleb lifted his head to look at her. She looked back at him with pure hatred and fury.

Then she looked away swearing that she heard someone say her name. She looked down the hall and in a second her eyes enlarged to saucers.

"It's them." She whispered.

Caleb followed her gaze.

"Let's go." He said quickly as he grabbed her hand and started running down the same hall towards the elevator that Tyler did.

Qwerty hit the elevator button multiple times hoping that with some luck the elevator would come faster. Caleb watched as the men that Qwerty and Kat had described were getting closer, but hadn't entirely discovered them yet. They were looking though. Qwerty yanked him into the elevator when it opened.

"What do they want?" her voice quivered.

"Us and they know that they can get that through you." He said.

"How do you know that?" she asked.

"Did you not see what happened a few hours ago? You know, the books flying around the cellar?" he said harshly.

"Oh. Well, you can't be mad at me! It's hard taking all this in, I don't know how Kat did it." she snapped back.

The elevator dinged telling them that they were on the first floor. Caleb hadn't let go of her and now hastily made his way for the entrance while pulling out his cell phone and dialing Tyler's number. Caleb listened to it ring, but there was no answer. He tried again and there was still no answer.

Caleb let go of Qwerty when they reached the parking lot.

"What about the others?" she asked as they made for his car.

"They'll get out." he said as he got Tyler's voicemail "Tyler, I don't know where you are, but get the hell out of the hospital. Now."

* * *

><p>Kat gasped in air and coughed as she bolted upright, her eyes wide and terrified. Tyler just as scared jumped to his feet and caught her by the shoulders before she fell off the metal bed. She looked around wildly confused.<p>

"What happened? Where am I?" she asked scared.

"Relax," Tyler told her "you're in the morgue."

"What!" she exclaimed.

"You died…" he trailed off as he lifted her up off the bed then slid it back into the cooler and shut the door.

Kat held the plastic sheeting tight around her as she looked around. She scoffed in disbelief.

"Wow, uh, can we leave. This place creeps me out. I'll process it later." She said turning to look back at him.

Tyler turned around as she put on a set of scrubs nearby. As he did he saw a filing cabinet and went over to it. Searching through it he finally pulled out a slip of paper and folded it up before putting it in his pocket. Turning back around, he shrugged off his jacket and gave it to her as she still shivered. As she put it on he saw the scar on her arm where the wound had once been and touched it curiously.

"It's warm." He mumbled.

She pulled the jacket on tightly feeling a little uncomfortable still. Both of them jumped out of their skin as the door behind them slammed open. Scarface and ponytail rushed in and Tyler grabbed Kat tightly.

"No again." She breathed.

As a bright flash was thrown towards Kat and Tyler, they disappeared in a swirl of black smoke.

"Shit." Scarface mumbled.

"The boss isn't going to be happy." Ponytail said.

Scarface growled and hit ponytail with the force of ten men sending him backwards. He fell back onto the metal gurney in the middle of the room causing it and him to crash to the floor.

"We're going to find them, and those girls are their weakness or didn't you notice that she was supposed to be dead!" scarface yelled "They won't go far."

* * *

><p>"What just happened?" Kat asked when they appeared in the middle of the living room of the house.<p>

"I don't know. I just thought about getting out of there and-"

"You used?" Kat asked "Let me guess, you used to-"

She gestured at herself. Tyler only nodded. Kat hit him in the arm right then. Then she hit him again.

"Whoa, what's going on? Did I miss something?"

Kat jumped and hid behind Tyler whom she had been hitting and saw a guy with sandy blonde hair and green eyes who looked to be her own age suddenly in the room and leaning against the wall near the table where the Ouija board was.

"What's wrong Kat?" Tyler asked dismissing the violence she had inflicted on him.

"Who are you? Wh-what do you want? I'll stick him on you, I swear!" she stammered talking about Tyler beside her afraid that the young man was like the guys in the trench coats.

"It's me Kat, Ryan." He said trying not to laugh.

"Oh…" she said then just pointed past Tyler.

"But…I don't understand." She mumbled.

Tyler watched as she reached past him at nothing. He wondered if she was now losing her mind. After all that had happened in the last few days he wouldn't be surprised or at least shouldn't be. He just looked in the general direction she reached out.

"Neither do I." Ryan admitted "Are you dead too?"

She shook her head quickly.

"Then how can you see me?"

"I did die…" she trailed off as she self consciously touched her arm now.

All three of them screamed as the door opened and Caleb and Qwerty came in. Both of them froze as they stared at Kat standing there in the middle of the living room. Kat looked at them then at Ryan.

"Is that really her? nah, nunnnun…" Qwerty squeaked as she fainted and hit the floor with a thud.

"I wish I could say I've seen stranger things, but these days there's always something…stranger." Caleb said as he was making his was over to Kat.

He hugged her tightly making it hard for her to breathe. When he let go she inhaled deeply.

"How?" he asked and Kat just looked at Tyler.

Caleb looked at him expectantly. Tyler tried to smile, but it turned into a half grimace and him scratching the back of his head.

"I'm going to help Qwerty." He said and picked her up then carried her up stairs.

"I don't know what happened? I didn't even know I died Caleb." Kat said "I know a few things for sure though."

"Oh?"

"The scar on my arm from when those men hit me is warm like it's more than my usual body temperature and…" she paused and looked at Ryan "I see dead people."

"That's the worst joke in the world." Caleb chuckled as they both moved to sit on the couch.

"I wish I were joking." She said wrapping Tyler's jacket around her tighter "Ryan is standing right over there by the board."

Tyler came back downstairs after having tucked Qwerty in Kat's bed. He wondered like the others did if she would be able to handle this kind of secret. Right now she wasn't doing too well.

"She okay?" Kat asked as he leaned against the wall on the edge of the stairway.

"I don't know." He said quietly.

She only nodded as a sigh escaped. She didn't know things could get so bad. She only expected magic tricks, not being attacked and killed.

"I'm going to go do a little research." She said "There's no way I'm sleeping."

Getting up, she moved for the cellar which showed no sign that it had been closed. She took each stair one step at a time. The candles lit themselves as she reached the bottom. Tyler and Ryan followed, but Caleb fell asleep on the couch in minutes from exhaustion. None of them wanted to bother him.

"I don't know what I'm looking for exactly…I guess anything." She said.

"Everyone starts somewhere…how about here?" Tyler suggested holding a book out to her.

She looked down at it. She'd seen it earlier today and was afraid to touch it. She looked up at Tyler. He looked uneasy about this, but he wasn't going to stop her.

"It's where we started." He added.

Kat took it gingerly and sat on the floor indian style. She knew that now there was no getting away. Whatever chance there had been in the past was long gone. She had died and now saw the dead. All she could do now was learn and maybe help in the future. For the first time she accepted it. There wasn't much a choice otherwise. Kat looked and saw Tyler burning her death certificate on one of the candles across the way. Kat just looked down at the book in her hands and opened up to the first page. Today would be the start of many sleepless days.

"Book of Damnation."


	22. New Projects

Kat hadn't moved much from her spot except to shift when a limb started to fall asleep. Every once in a while she'd look over at Ryan. He was reading over her shoulder. Tyler had gone upstairs after a while. Kat had moved onto other books quickly after having gone through the book of damnation.

"What are you Kat?" Ryan asked.

"Thinking…"She trailed off as her eyes scanned others pages of other books. She started to look like she had an idea.

"About?"

Kat stopped and looked up. She set the book aside and stood up wincing a little from stiffness. She walked closer to Ryan who started to back away from her a little scared. She paid no mind to it and just reached out to him only for her hand to go right through his chest.

"Okay." She said as if having a conversation with herself.

"Kat, what are you doing?" he asked concerned.

"I…don't know…but I'm doing something." She said as she started going through the books again.

Then as if an epiphany had hit her she jumped up and down with a satisfied smile. Ryan watched and wondered if inside she was suffering. She had come back from the dead less than twenty four hours ago and she acted as if it weren't a big deal. Reid didn't even know she was alive. She was buzzing around. Ryan remembered when he died. He couldn't believe it at all. It took a lot of time alone and walking through walls to come to terms. Kat on the other hand came back from that. She disturbed something natural.

"Kat, I know it's bothering you, but you can't immerse yourself." Ryan said.

Kat looked at him and her eyes softened.

"You don't understand…or maybe you do. That's why I need to do this. I can't think about it. Where I went, it was dark and I was scared. There was nowhere for me to go." She said. "I don't want to think about it let alone talk about it. Just let me do this okay?"

"Do what though? Read?"

"Nope. How would you like to be not so transparent?" she asked her eyes all lit up as if she got the best gift in the world for Christmas.

"What?" Ryan said in disbelief that she was contemplating such a thing.

"You're going to be corporeal." She said. "And while I'm working on that I'm going to take off the aging problem he guys have when they 'use'" she air quoted.

"Aging problem?" Ryan asked.

"Whenever they do their little…tricks they age from it. The power is their life and vice versa. If I can sever what makes them combined then they won't have that problem." Kat could see the confusion clear on his face. "It's complicated."

"Do they know you're doing this?"

"No, that's why I'm using the cover story of you becoming not so transparent." She said.

"So you're not really making me all…" he gestured all over himself trying to make the point.

"No, I am. Trust me, I'm going to work on both." She said. "If they ask though, tell them the whole I'm a real boy story."

Ryan smirked.

"You can be real conniving when you want to be." He remarked.

"I know." She smiled. "I just can't help myself, but, uhhh I got to go to class."

Kat grabbed a few more books including the Book of Damnation and hurried up the stairs to the living room. Caleb had moved from his spot on the couch where he'd been resting. Kat ran up the stairs and to her room where she plopped the books on her bed and started gathering other books required for classes. She paused when she went to leave having noticed that she was still wearing Tyler's jacket and scrubs from the hospital. Turning back she flung open her closet door and pulled out a pair of blue jeans and a black t-shirt representing one of her favorite bands. She slipped Tyler's jacket back on and grabbed her bookbag on the way out.

As she went to open the front door to rush out as she slipped on flip-flops Reid opened it from the other side and she just ran out.

"Hey Reid." She said out of breath and not bothering to stop.

He stopped real quickly as he watched her run. His jaw nearly dropped and he scratched the back of his neck in confusion.

"Hey, I'll explain later okay or better yet, just ask Tyler." She said not stopping.

Reid watched her go till she was out of sight.

"She's alive…" he muttered.


	23. The Fifth Element

**Thank you for the alerts and favorites to this story:) Here's the next chapter!**

"So you're telling me that Baby Boy here brought you back to life?" Reid asked to be sure.

Kat nodded.

"I also see dead people...sort of." She said.

He'd come to see her in her room where books were now scattered everywhere. He looked at her as if she were a miracle. He'd touched her arm too, where the scar was.

"I'm sorry." He mumbled as he moved to caress her cheek.

Reid couldn't help the guilt he felt having left her there to go sulk on his own and then them get attacked again. He knew it was wrong. He wouldn't do it again.

"I'm fine. In fact, I've started up a new project while things are…can things go back to normal?"

"They weren't very normal before." He replied.

"Right." She said agreeing. "Well, in any case, I'm going to make Ryan not a ghost."

"You're what?"

"Yep. He thinks it's crazy too."

Reid nodded.

"I think that I'm just glad you're alive." He said.

"Me too." she said wanting to avoid the subject.

Kat got up and moved over to her desk where sat several books. She grabbed the one for her Comp class. She fell back on her bed as she started reading only for Reid to snatch the book from her. She cocked her head to the side and scowled at him.

"I've missed that look." He chuckled.

"Oh I'm sure."

She rolled her eyes at him as he tugged her to him. Her breath hitched realizing that he wanted to be close.

_Ok, I don't know about this._

"You going to take advantage of me again?" she joked.

"Thought crossed my mind." He smirked.

"Oh really? Because I should tell you, I'm not looking for a relationship." She grinned.

"Eh, they're overrated."

"Good, then there won't be complications." She said.

Reid kissed her before she could say much more. Kat couldn't complain either. He was good.

"Wait," she said parting. "What if one of the guy's walk in?"

Reid rolled his eyes and looked back at the door. It locked automatically.

"You really shouldn't do that." She said with somewhat of a serious face.

Reid rolled his eyes this time and kissed her again. Kat just wound her arms around him as if like a snake. He wasn't trying to get away anyway. Their tongues met in the heated rush and Kat certainly didn't object as she felt him crawling down her neck with wet hot kisses. She moaned instead and felt his lips on hers once again as if he needed it and hell, they both did. Kat had a feeling their game was going to turn into something more than that only she didn't want to stop.

She rolled over on top of him and sat up to look at as he was catching his breath. Smiling seductively she pulled her shirt up over her head and tossed it to the side. Reid looked at her and she couldn't tell if it was shock or just awe. Either way it had her grinning even wider. Shyness had never been in her vocabulary. Reid grinned back and sat up while wrapping an arm around her and pulled her lips back to his as his arm slid lower.

"God, I want you bad." He whispered.

Kat only gasped when he flipped over on top of her.

* * *

><p>The sun blinded Kat and she rolled over to avoid it. After a few seconds she sat up and brushed her bed head from her face. Her bed was completely empty. It was like the crime didn't happen last night and she smiled.<p>

"Oh, he's good." She mumbled.

Then looking at the clock her eyes grew huge.

"Oh no." she said then fell out of bed trying to get to the bathroom. She didn't bother with clothes let alone the temperature of the water as she jumped into it.

Ten minutes later she came out with a towel wrapped around her and ran to her closet.

_I can't believe I'm going to be late!_

As she tossed a pair of holed jeans behind her on the bed she then pulled out a black tank top. Her cell phone rang in the midst of getting dressed.

"Ahh!" she shrieked while falling on her face trying to put on jeans and answer it.

"Kat?" Caleb said shortly followed a knock on her door.

"I'm fine!" she said.

She heard his footsteps walk off then answered her phone.

"Yeah?" she said.

"Hey darling."

"Terra?" Kat paused for a split second.

"How is school?" she asked.

"Complicated." Kat grunted.

"Everything alright?" Terra asked.

"Uh, yeah of course. Just getting ready for classes." Kat said as she held her phone between her ear and shoulder and buttoned her jeans then grabbed the jacket she never back to Tyler. She wasn't even sure if she'd give it back. His loss.

"Okay, well call me back another time. I just thought I'd check on you."

"Okay Terra. Love you." Kat said quickly then hung up and grabbed the Book of Damnation and her laptop and stuffed it into her bookbag.

Getting downstairs she saw Caleb in the kitchen drinking coffee while carrying on the usual morning conversation with Tyler. She rushed in and grabbed an apple then opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of Gatorade. Both of them looked at her and she froze when she noticed.

"What's the rush?" Tyler asked.

"Yeah, it's the weekend. No classes." Caleb chimed in.

"I knew that." Kat played it off.

They hid their chuckles.

"The library however is open. Thought I'd go do some research." Kat said

"On?" Caleb asked.

Kat paused again and looked at both of them.

"Uh, Tyler you can fill him in right?" Kat said then dashed off.

"What? No!" Tyler exclaimed as Reid passed her o nthe way in.

"No insults today. I think I'm doing pretty good." Reid said as he watched her go.

"Shut up dink!" she yelled which was followed by the closing of the front door.

"Was she wearing my jacket?" Tyler asked.

Both Caleb and Reid just stared at him. A sudden feeling of awkwardness enveloped the room. Both of them stared at him expectantly and he didn't mind just walking off with some lame story, but he figured it was pointless.

"Well…" he started.

* * *

><p>Kat yawned as she looked at the shelves. The library was dead. Halloween was coming up soon and everyone was getting ready for Halloween and such. She loved the holiday as much as anyone else not to mention it became something of realism too, but it had come to be something pushed to the backseat.<p>

Looking up at the top shelf she saw a few books where the title looked as if they might hold a few answers. Feeling quite short, Kat stepped up on the first shelf and reached for the books. Grabbing one and all the other fell on her head.

"Yep, figures." She muttered as she then reached down and picked them up.

_Why do they have these books? Nevermind._

She started flipping through one book talking about energies and how to channel it correctly as she walked back toward the table she sat at. Tyler knew about the whole Ryan thing. Then as she looked at the Book of Damnation which she'd had at least half of it copied out it showed the four elements on a pentagram yet, on the other page it mentioned that there were five elements. As she thought about it her eyes went huge. It was on the tip of her tongue and she knew it, it was there, but she couldn't remember.

She started looking in a Wiccan book next and was typing fast on her keyboard next to her. She didn't even look to see what she typed. She just continued reading and typed what was there. This one talked about elements and control.

"Holy shit." Kat blurted loudly in the realization. "It's life…how did I not know! They killed me."

It was like a revelation. She knew that that was only a small chunk of information, but it was important or at least it would be. That was the fifth element and the most powerful one too. She smiled to herself as she wrote it down at the top of the pentagram in the book. The people that had attacked them used that to their ability and nearly succeeded. Life is one thing that can be used against anybody. The birth of a child can bring in the light of one person just like the death of one person can bring out the darkness in a person. All of it has a waver in a person's life.

"Hey."

Kat looked up caught off guard to see Qwerty standing nearby.

"What are you doing?"

"Research." Kat answered simply. "You wouldn't be interested. I am surprised to see you though."

"Yeah," she said sighing heavily. "It was a shock. Everything that happened. I don't know how to handle it really. Can I see?"

Kat looked down not really looking at the several books then back at her friend and just nodded.

"What are you researching?"

"The boys' abilities." Kat said quietly with the one thought that Qwerty would walk away.

Shockingly she sat across from her and slowly reached across the table for one of the several books Kat had picked up from the floor when they'd crashed down on her. Qwerty gave her a half smile and opened the book. Part of her was just as curious to find out how they worked.

"I am trying to help them. With the attacks, they won't be able to fend for themselves." Kat said.

"We do need the big guns to survive." Qwerty quipped.

"Something like that."

_They need it too, to survive. No way in hell am I giving in. _

When Kat had gotten back to the house with Qwerty having come with her, she had a migraine. It faded quite fast as the aroma filled her nostrils and they both dropped their stuff on the couch and followed it to the kitchen where the dining room table was set and Tyler and Reid were cooking.

"This is a rare sight. We should take it in, bask in it." Qwerty commented.

Kat only nodded not really sure where her words went. Sure, she had plenty, but they just weren't making it out of her watering mouthing. She didn't think she was so hungry, but now she knew.

"Nice to see youbrought company."

"You can cook." Kat said still amazed.

Tyler smirked.

"You seem shocked." Caleb chuckled as he brushed past the ladies.

"A little." Kat admitted.

"Take a seat, it's almost done." Tyler said.

Kat and Qwerty looked at each other and shrugged. Sitting beside each other, Kat counted six chairs.

_And extra one? _

Then she saw Ryan sit across from her and slowly the smile crept across her face from understanding.

"Have fun on your escapade today? I go tto fend off wild beasts." Ryan said while gesturing to Caleb who sat beside him unknowingly.

"As a matter of fact I found out some really interesting thing that will come in handy." She answered.

Everyone looked at her. she pointed across the table.

"Oh? Like what?"

"Like I found the fifth element." She replied.

"The movie?" Reid asked.

"No. The actual element." She said.

"Oh, I love dinner talk." Qwerty chimed in.

Tyler brought over green beans and mashed potatoes while Reid set down the butter and lasagna.

"Geez, they slaved over a kitchen." Kat said jokingly.

"Let's hope they didn't poison it." Qwerty added.

"Only one way to find out."

Both girls laughed and Kat saw Ryan laughing as well.

"As I was saying though," she continued as everyone was digging into the food. "It's life."

"Life…" Caleb said slightly confused.

"You know like-" she waved her arms around. He still didn't understand. "It's complicated."

"Like the person themselves, their blood, their everything." Qwerty said.

Everyone including Ryan looked at Qwerty.

"Yeah," Kat said slowly. "Exactly."

Qwerty reached for the beans.

"I think I'm coming over for dinner more often."

"I think I might too if they cook more." Kat said.

They all laughed finding the humor. Kat and Qwerty continued to explain to them about it and how it could be used not only for Ryan, but also for them as well. Kat couldn't keep it as contained as she though. Better out than in.

"It just needs separated." Kat said.

None of them argued either. In fact they seemed to think it was a good idea. Caleb however just didn't want her getting hurt because of all this. Kat knew it too. What he didn't know though was that it was too late to be worrying about that.

"I've still got a few specifics to figure out…well a lot of specifics, but it's possible. This whole aging thing resembles nothing more than a curse." She said.

"Joy." Reid said unenthusiastically.

Kat smirked.

"It's a working progress."

Conversation moved onto Ryan then and now that Kat had that connection everyone wanted to use it. Even her. She didn't think much of it now. The most popular question happened to be 'how did you die'. He explained it easily. One of his frat brothers had pushed him out in front of a car and he didn't exactly survive. The table went quiet after that. Ryan just told them that it didn't bother him so much anymore. The guy who'd done it went through worse and even died in prison.

"That's one hell of a ghost story." Reid said.

Everyone had finished and Kat offered to clear the table.

"Actually check this out." Ryan said.

Kat looked at him inquisitively. He grinned.

"I haven't done this in forever. I did it when the roommate trials were going on." he said.

All of the dishes on the table lifted from the table and Kat just gasped. She watched as they all levitated over to the sink. It was seriously messed up yet, so amazing. all of the others moved to the living room therefore had missed the magic trick. Kat just stared.

"You're such a freak." She told Ryan.

"Says the one who sees a ghost." Ryan countered.

"True." She agreed.

Afterwards she headed upstairs where she went to her room. She could here Tyler offer to walk Qwerty back to her apartment. Knowing Qwerty, she'd take up the offer and she did. Kat walked to her room and closed the door.

_Peace of mind…yes. Nothing eventful happened. No attacks, no magic, nothing._

She then pulled out her cell phone with the intention of calling Terra back from the quick call this morning. Her door opened and she turned to see Reid coming in.

"You cannon just barge in." she started to complain when he kissed her.

"And I have needs." He complained back.

"Too bad." She said pulling away in disbelief. "We don't all get what we want. I'm still waiting on that kitten in a bubble Dairy Queen promised."

Reid laughed at that.

"I'm glad I amuse you, but at the moment I'm trying to make a call." She said turning away from him.

She looked through her contacts for Terra and felt Reid's arms snake around her waist. She could feel her body betray her with the weightless feeling corrupting her.

"Not working." She said as she looked down at the phone asking her if she wanted to text or call.

Reid then removed his hands only to slide the jacket down her arms where it rested at her elbows and his hands fell to her hips. His lips however, kissed her shoulder and moved to the bottom of her neck. Kat's eyes fluttered a little.

_Pull away! You have an important phone call to make!_

She didn't listen though and she felt his hot trail moving closer to her lips. Dropping her phone, she turned and kissed him. She molded herself to his body not that she needed help since he held her there effortlessly.

_Traitor._

Her fingers wound through his hair tugging at it as his hand moved up her back underneath her top. She moved backwards to the bed where she fell back and pulled him with her.

_I needed a break anyway from all of this._

**I figured a happy chapter was due. Review?**


	24. Means To An End

**I've noticed the alerts and favorites and it really puts a smile on my face! Thank you for that and for your pleasure here's the next chapter.**

Kat looked up at the wall. She'd posted her notes all over it. It was mostly to clear up the clutter, but it morphed into something all on its own. She sat on her bed and stared at it. She thought that maybe something would come to her by just staring at it. Actually, she hoped it would scream the answers at her. Looking at it made her head hurt. It had been this way for a whole week. The whole equation of their powers attached to their life was impossible.

Getting up Kat grabbed her newly bought iPod and turned out the light. She tiptoed downstairs knowing that everyone was asleep. She looked back up the stairs as she kept going.

"Going out?" Ryan said as he leaned against the front door.

Kat jumped and nearly shrieked seeing him there. She scowled at him. He just grinned and wiggled his eyebrows at her trying to be cute. Kat didn't find it too cute that he nearly had her scream and wake her housemates one of which she really knew better than to mess around with. Okay, she found it a little cute.

"Yes actually, I am." She said. "I can't sleep."

"You can't sleep a lot now days." He said.

Ryan had taken notice that she didn't sleep much and if she did it wasn't for very long because she'd wake up from a nightmare. He'd asked her about it, but she brushed it off, said it wasn't a big deal. Then she'd stick her head back in the damn books like she didn't have a life, like she was dead or something.

"Yeah, whatever." She said opening the door right through him and closing it.

He sighed. This was among the many times he felt helpless. He couldn't literally reach out to her and try to help. He knew what it was that had her going like this. It was her death and watching Tyler help make it disappear. She died and for anyone that was hard.

Kat looked back at the house then put in her earbuds. She walked down the sidewalk unsure of where she was going. Anywhere sounded good if she even ended up there. Looking up, she saw the stars. They were fading as the sun was coming up. Looking at them now made her smile and think of Whitney. The two of them would stay outside in the summer and watch them shoot across the sky. She always said that the ones shooting across the sky weren't the ones you wish upon. Those ones were wishes coming true for somebody in the world and that they were really lucky being there were billions of other wishes shining up there waiting to be granted.

It was a good memory, one worth remembering. She didn't mind one bit reliving that one. It was good to think of lately. It kept her here.

"I wish you were here." Kat whispered as a new song started playing.

Kat wandered around campus till she came to the large quad in the middle of it where sidewalks led to each main building. She did a full three-sixty then fell back onto the dew covered grass. She let out a deep breath and turned up the volume.

* * *

><p>Tyler slammed his hand down on his alarm clock with a yawn. Getting up, he went through his usual morning routine.<p>

"There's something missing." He said.

Caleb looked up from the book he was going over like he did most mornings and at Tyler who was wolfing down his cereal.

_Missing?_

Tyler read his expression clearly.

"Right about now Kat usually comes in for an energy drink and then Reid comes in for his daily insult." Tyler said.

Caleb had his eyebrows raised surprised.

"What?" Tyler said defensively. "I pay attention."

"Right." Caleb said blankly.

Then Reid came in and raided the fridge for orange juice. After having downed it all in one he dumped his glass in the sink and walked out of the kitchen with the intention of going to class.

Caleb and Tyler looked up when he came back to the kitchen. He gripped the edge of the island counter and looked around.

"Anyone seen the chick?" he asked.

"She's probably sleeping." Caleb said as he was going over his book with a highlighter.

"Have you seen the girl? You know our housemate? She hasn't really been sleeping." Reid said in his usual sarcastic tone.

Caleb glared at him.

_Of course I know moron. I'm just not up her ass._

Reid rolled his eyes. He didn't expect Caleb to pay attention. He didn't care, that much was easy to tell. He'd been off on his own anymore. Everyone was. Nobody really talked much anymore. Not even himself and Kat. She let the research consume her. Reid had tried to get her away from it, but it was difficult.

The front door opened and both Reid and Tyler leaned far enough to look through the doorway.

"Good morning Kat." Caleb said flatly as she entered the kitchen.

She smirked seeing how into the book he was. She snatched it out from under his nose and he looked at her stating that he wasn't in the mood for games. She full out smiled at that and handed it back. Then she turned and grabbed an energy drink from the fridge.

"Where were you?" Tyler asked.

"Out." she answered.

Everyone looked up at her right then. It was of curiosity yet, they all seemed badgering. She could tell that the answer wasn't good enough for them. Apparently they thought they were her parents who needed to know everywhere she was.

"What?" she asked unable to handle all three stares at once.

Reid just shook his while Caleb looked back down at his book. Tyler on the other hand just shrugged and spoke up what none of the others were saying.

"You're pushing yourself pretty hard over all of this."

"All of what?"

No one said it, but she knew they were thinking about it.

In the past two weeks you haven't even gotten out. When was the last time you hung out with Qwert or any of us for that matter?" he asked.

She nodded at him wondering when he was going to be done nagging. Then Caleb started chiming in.

"He's right."

"He's right?" she scoffed. "Says the guy who's been to into his studies that he doesn't have time to hang with us? Tell me Caleb, when's the last time you called Sarah."

Reid looked at the triangle half tempted to sneak away. For once he wasn't involved, but after what Kat said she might as well sink her claws into his jugular. That was something he wanted to stick around for. Fresh entertainment. It would be an interesting turn-out so he just leaned back against the doorframe.

Caleb didn't say anything, but reading his face was enough. Kat wanted to take back those words as soon as the fell from her mouth. She didn't mean it, but he'd lashed out at her. She knew at this point it would take groveling. Right now though wasn't a good idea. One reason is because she knew it would backfire and for another reason was because she couldn't get it to come out. It was as if it was lodged in her throat.

"That's what I thought. You tell me to get my head out of it, but look at you?" she said.

After having dug herself into a deeper grave she turned and walked out. Tyler looked at Caleb unsure of what to say.

"Dude, you look more pissed than when you found out Chase was part of us." Reid snorted.

Tyler rolled his eyes.

"Not helping." Tyler said.

"I didn't know I was supposed to be helping. I mean the way she said it was wrong, but she made a point. None of us have really gotten out since the whole 'thing'." He said.

They all referred to Kat's death as a 'thing'. No one liked to think it happened. Reid walked out and headed for class leaving Tyler and Caleb the only ones in the house.

"You know what? I'm going to go find her and talk to her." Tyler said then paused. "After classes."

He put his bowl in the sink and left. When he made it to class he noticed Kat already sitting with her laptop open ready to take notes. She didn't say anything to him as he sat in the desk beside her. She didn't acknowledge his existence. Class went by quickly and as soon as they were dismissed Kat had closed her laptop and was gone. Tyler tracked all the way across campus till he finally 'used' and popped up in front of her to make her stop.

"You shouldn't do that."

"Then don't force me." He said.

"I'm not forcing you to do anything." She said crudely.

"Oh, so now you're going to start a fight with me too right?" he shot at her.

She inhaled deeply then rubbed her head.

_I' m not in the mood for this. Can't they leave me and be grateful? I'm trying as hard as I can._

"You alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, just sleep deprived." She replied.

She brushed past him moving for the library.

"Don't you ever take a break?" he asked.

"I don't need it." she said.

"Is that what you tell yourself? Is that what keeps you going?" he asked worriedly.

Kat stopped and turned to him.

"This is something that could change a lot for you…there's four of you right?" she said being sure.

She'd never met Pogue, but she'd heard things. They weren't bad things. He just chose to go to school closer to his girl. Kat had to admit that it was kind of sweet too. She also thought that it must have been hard on the other three though, being away from their fourth friend. It didn't take much to know they were a tight group and it wasn't all just because of the warlocky-thing.

"Yeah." He said with a small laugh.

"Well, it's a big thing for all of you. The quicker I figure it out the better. If you haven't noticed a lot of weird things have happened. You guys can't keep doing what you're doing. The consequences are too big." She said. "Do you understand yet? I can't stop."

She started walking again, but Tyler grabbed her by the arm.

"Do you trust me?" he asked.

Kat gulped.

"Uh…when people ask that they usually have something big planned." She said uneasily.

"Well?"

"Yes?"

He smirked and clasped his hand with hers and she watched his eyes. They always engulfed her and terrified her. Then suddenly they both felt a sudden pressure as if being compressed really tightly then they were both flung backwards hitting the grass hard.

Kat just laid there thinking about her throbbing head.

"Do you trust me?" she mimicked. "I hate him."

She sat and rubbed her head. As she looked forward she froze. She tilted her head to the side and looked across the way to see…

"Oh god." Her eyes went wide. "No, oh god!"

She scrambled over to what looked like her own body. If anything she thought she was dreaming. It wasn't possible to switch bodies with anybody. She knew how stupid that was knowing that that's something that could happen with one of them.

"Hey!" she yelled and slapped a hand over her mouth at what a guy she sounded like.

Kat/him shot up and looked up at himself then looked at himself.

"I can't believe you!" Kat screamed from Tyler's body. "This was your plan!"

"No!" she/Tyler shrieked. "I wanted us to share brains so I could help, but-"

Kat/him didn't let Tyler/ her finish, she slapped him.

"Hey! You don't slap a chick!" he tried.

"It's my body! I'll do what I want!" she screamed loudly from his body. "And your going to fix this."

Tyler stood and looked down at himself taking in Kat's body. Kat put her hand on her hips and glared at him from his body.

"I can't wait to tell the others." Kat said dramatically.

"Oh shove off drama queen." He said rolling his eyes.

Tyler grabbed his own hand and waited.

"Well?" Kat said.

Tyler tried again, but nothing happened. He looked up at Kat and even in his body she gave one hell of a glare.

"Well, I don't have my powers. You do." He said.

"Oh shit."

"Yeah, oh shit." Tyler agreed.

* * *

><p>"So what do we tell the others?"<p>

"Nothing."

"Nothing? Tyler, we did a body switch." She said.

"And you're going to fix it." he said.

"How?"

All-"

The front door opened and in came Reid and Caleb. Kat took a step back from Tyler. Caleb nodded to her, but didn't pay attention to Tyler. Kat was confused slightly by the greeting then smiled at Tyler.

"He thinks you're me." She smiled.

"Kat…" Tyler gritted.

"You're adorable when you're mad. Now go be me and go upstairs. You're my brain now so you can look at my wall." She said.

"What?"

"You'll see. Just go." She snapped.

Tyler ran upstairs. When he got her room he saw a guy pacing and glancing at her wall where dozens of papers were plastered. There were lines connecting them.

"Holy shit." He said.

He didn't know how hard she'd really been at it. She didn't say anything and even worse none of them asked. Guilt swept over him as he closed the door.

"Good, you're here. What the hell was this morning about?"

"Uhhh…" He trailed off.

"You acted like I wasn't even there. Kat you cannot keep doing this. you need to talk to somebody."

"Look," Tyler said. "Riley don't worry about me. Seriously."

"It's like you really died. You've sucked yourself in and for what? These guys are killing you."

It was like a slap to the face.

"Hell, I know they have good intentions and all, but look at you!"

Tyler slowly walked over to the mirror by the closet and looked at her. There were dark circles under her eyes and she was pale as if she hadn't seen the sun.

"I know how stubborn you are and that you care about them." He said understandingly. "For nearly a month you've been at this."

"It'll work." Tyler said. "Just give me a little longer."

"Kat-"

"Trust me." He said defiantly.

He turned to the wall and looked at it.

_She worked at this. I didn't know she'd take it so seriously. _

"Looks, like this is going to take a while." He told himself.

* * *

><p>"And she's off to hide in her room again." Caleb said.<p>

"Let her be. It's her choice." Kat said shrugging as she propped her feet up on the coffee table and flipped through channels on the tv.

Caleb looked over at her.

"Were you not there this morning?"

"I was there." She clarified.

_I'm the one who said it all._

Caleb sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Kat looked over.

_What's wrong with him?_

"I don't exactly know how to approach her after everything. She's like my little sister and I couldn't do anything."

"Caleb what-" she started.

"She died right there and I just stayed behind to read." He said quietly. "I wanted to protect her…I told her I would and she died."

"Trust me when I say that is on everyone's mind. You're not alone." She said.

"I know. I can tell it bothers her. She sits up there in her room hiding from the world. I wish I could talk to her, tell her it's all okay, but it isn't." he said looking down at the floor.

Kat was completely speechless.

_What the hell do I say to that? _

"Yeah, it's like she's actually gone." she said barely above a mumble.

* * *

><p>Riley had left Tyler alone and he was drawing conclusions of his own.<p>

"Kat was right about life…" he trailed off in his own thoughts. "How the hell do you separate it without killing us?"

Looking at the wall, he smirked. He saw she'd written his exact words out already. He also saw that she was looking at Wiccan magic, white magic and voodoo. She'd gone all out on this. She nearly had it too.

**The will of a person if strong enough will survive if the connection is strong. Without a connection the will is weakened and therefore damned. Without the will the essence of the one's life is pointless and therefore also damned in the circle of existence. **

"I'll be damned. She did get it." he said.

_She didn't even see it. It's right in front of her._

"Everything alright?"

Tyler turned quickly. Reid stood in her doorway?

"What are you doing here?" Tyler asked.

"I came to check on you. You looked pretty rough." He said stepping further into the room.

"I'm fine." Tyler said.

Reid smirked.

"Don't play that."

"Look, I don't know what you want, but you need to go." Tyler said as he crossed his arms.

"You're cute when you try to be defiant." Reid smirked as he got closer.

Tyler backed away unsure of what Reid was trying to do.

"I thought you weren't shy. Plus, it's not like any of the others suspect anything."

Tyler's eyes went as big as dinner plate right then.

_What the hell! They're sleeping together! What else don't I know!_

"What Tyler!" he said "Coming!"

Reid stared after Tyler/her with raised eyebrows.

Kat rushed downstairs and saw himself and Caleb talking. He stood there and watched. He just sat down on the step and watched.

Kat saw Caleb look over at Tyler.

"Can we talk later?" he asked her.

It wasn't rude. In fact, it was caring.

"We all need to talk." He said.

Tyler looked at Kat who looked at right on back at him.

"Yeah, sure." Tyler said. "It's a good idea."

"Good, I'll be back. I'm going to get take out any you want anything specific?"

Both of them shook their heads. Caleb gave a quick smile then grabbed his keys and left. As soon as he did both Kat and Tyler stood.

"I can't believe you're sleeping with Reid." Tyler snapped at Kat.

"Oh shut up. You sound so like a girl." She shot back.

Tyler glared her.

"Plus, I can't believe what Caleb unloaded on me. I feel so horrid."

"You should!" Tyler said.

Kat reached out and grabbed Tyler by the throat.

"I can't believe you did this to us!"

"Stop choking me."

"It's my body." She growled. "If I want to strangle the person in it I will."

"What's going on?" Reid's voice broke in.

Both of them looked over to see Reid looking at them like their nuts. His arms were crossed over his chest. Kat let go of Tyler quickly and retreated a few steps back.

"She started it."

"Oh?" Reid said.

"She's right." Tyler said defeated.

"Tyler!" Kat exclaimed.

Reid looked at the two. He looked at Tyler then at Kat.

"Real funny you two." Reid chuckled.

Neither of them laughed. They looked at each other and grimaced.

"So, if you're Kat then I just tried to make out with Tyler." Reid said still laughing.

"You what? Oh man, that's disturbing." Kat said shuddering.

"You're telling me." Tyler said with a disgusted face.

Reid's face fell and he looked from one to the other. Each time his face grew more shocked. Kat just shrugged.

"He did it." she said pointing at herself.

Reid opened his mouth to say something, but shut it again. He wasn't sure if he was going to vomit or kill Tyler who happened to be in Kat's body.

"Oh shit." He said finally.

He sat back on the couch and his head fell into his hands. The room went deafly quiet and Kat just stared at Tyler egging him to say something. The two of them started silent arguing and Tyler even reached out and hit her.

"Look, Tyler said that we'd get changed back. You weren't even supposed to find out, but apparently he's stupid." Kat said.

"He was going to find out since you and him…" Tyler trailed off.

Kat rolled her eyes in disbelief. The excuse was pathetic in her opinion. Then she looked at Tyler thinking about how nice it would be to just shut him up so he wouldn't dig them both into a hole. She shook her at him then watched as his lips melded together till they weren't anymore. It was as if they were glued together. Tyler tried to yell and scream, but the sound never got out. Kat just watched unsure of how it happened.

"What did you do?" Reid said getting to his feet to watch Tyler fall and try to find his mouth.

"I just wanted him to be quiet." Kat said.

Then her eyes lit up with the epiphany of how it worked. She didn't know it was so easy. Kat fell to her knees and took Tyler's hand. It still made her uncomfortable that she was holding hands with herself. He glared at her too. Reid on the other hand was still staring at the two.

"All you have to do is want it." she said.

"This isn't a good idea. Maybe I should do it." Reid said.

It was too late though. Kat locked eyes with Tyler and could already feel it happen. She felt slightly dizzy as that compressed feeling came over her like it did before. It was like being pressed in tightly from every direction. Kat gripped Tyler's hand even tighter hoping it would be tight enough that the two of them wouldn't be flung backwards into something.

Reid watched uneasily from a distance. He was still comprehending that they weren't really them and now he and Kat would have to explain to Tyler what was going on between them and he'd probably tell Caleb. Tyler wasn't one to lie to his own friends.

Reid knew that he'd seen a lot, but watching his best friend in the body of a girl and his housemate in his best friend's body was new. Then suddenly a light started forming in their clasped hands. Reid watched it mesmerized as it got brighter.

"Uh, guys. Is that supposed to happen?" he said.

Neither of them let go.

"Tyler?" Kat said a little scared.

"Just hold on okay?" Tyler told her.

She didn't let go. Instead she just shut her eyes and thought about the things that made her smile, things that made her happy. Those things were hard to find and they seemed lost to her. For some reason right then Qwerty popped into her line of vision. Kat didn't mind. In her head Qwerty was smiling and laughing. Her best friend, the one person who didn't care who she was but who she is now, the person who cared enough to still be her friend now even though she knew about the people she lived with. Kat held onto that.

A jolt went through both of them pushing them backwards, but Kat didn't let go. She didn't open her eyes either. She just sat there fighting off the tears she felt coming. She found out things tonight that she didn't know. There wasn't even a hint to let her know. She wanted to blurt out everything to Caleb. Tell him that she couldn't come to terms with her having died and that it made her sick to think about because for a long time…she wished she was dead. She tried to hide from it and stuck her head in finding answers and such in hopes that it would go away.

"Kat. Kat, open your eyes."

It was Tyler…his voice and what felt like his hand in hers. Slowly she opened her eyes and saw Tyler right in front of her. She let go of his hand and took his face in both of hers.

"Kat, would you quit?" Tyler said through his mushed face that she was mushing together with her hands.

She let go and hugged him instead. Her breath stuttered as she did. Tyler hugged her back and held her.

Reid stood there looking at the two of them. There was something he missed and he knew it too. Kat was nearly in tears and Tyler seemed as if he'd just heard something so serious that he wasn't sure how to handle it. Like it was something you took to your grave. Kat pulled back from the hug.

"Don't say anything?" she asked.

Tyler wasn't completely happy with what she was asking, but he nodded then stood. He froze and looked Reid a sudden glare. Reid was taken aback by it and confused.

"I'm your best friend. You should've told me." Tyler growled.

He didn't say anything else. He just went upstairs to get away. The slamming of a bedroom door echoed through the house. Kat looked up at him from where she sat on the living room floor then looked away quickly. She wasn't sure how she felt now. Whether it was guilt or sorrow or anger or possibly a mixture of it altogether.

Reid opened his mouth to say something when Caleb came in. he paused and looked from Reid to Kat and back.

"Everything alright?" Caleb asked.

Neither of them said anything. Reid just shrugged then looked at Kat for an answer. She wasn't looking at him or at anything for that matter.

"No." she said finally. "I think we all know that."

She stood and brushed by both young men up the stairs where she saw Ryan standing at the top. She paused for a moment and looked at him. If she could she would've hugged him. He'd still stood by her and she spiraled downward and here he stood looking at and not saying anything. She wished he would say something even if it was him yelling at her.

"Are you mad at me?" she asked trying to keep her voice steady.

He shook his head no.

"Why not?"

"Because."

"That's a bad answer." she laughed.

The laugh came out like a croak from a frog and she hiccupped. Her heart felt heavy.

"Hey, everyone needs someone when they're in the dark place. You get the ghost because he wants to become a real boy." Ryan joked.

Kat couldn't help, but smile.

"So you're using me. I get it." she countered.

"Precisely."

"Alright then." She said.

She walked through him, which would normally be disturbing, to her room and looked at her wall. Tyler had made notes of his own. She trailed them and added more. It was like solving this big equation and she was looking for the value that equaled x. she didn't pay attention to much else as she got sucked back in.

"I found it." she said. "It wasn't even related them. It's a freaking curse! Why did I not see this sooner?"

Kat slapped her forehead feeling ridiculous that she didn't realize it. It tied their aging and such together so that they wouldn't use. So that they would pay the price for if they hurt somebody or something. It was like a lesson learned kind of thing. Looking at the history of where their power came from and the Salem witch trials it made sense that their ancestors would do that. It had nothing to do with the whole idea of willpower. Kat couldn't describe how she felt. It was utter stupidity and she was hoping she wouldn't have to tell anyone about it. The life essence part wasn't all wrong though. That's where everything was connected. That would be important.

Kat continued not wanting to lose concentration as she kept finding and writing out more and more. She didn't even look very much at their history. She kept looking at the present thinking that's where it was and that maybe just maybe there was a certain component in it that caused it. She looked at the scientific part of it all, the more realistic way.

She missed the light knock on the door and was now writing more onto the notes of her wall.

"Wow."

Kat turned and saw Caleb standing in the middle of her room. She looked back at the wall.

"I was just…trying to help. I think I found out what the problem is too."

"And the answer?" he asked.

"More complicated." She replied. "It's a curse. I hadn't thought about it, but Ty-I mean I was writing out all of your history and had read the Salem witch trials, but didn't think of it. I was trying to be realistic."

Caleb nodded as he came up beside her and looked at it. She pointed out certain points of what she'd thought previously then started pointing out what Tyler had been tinkering with since they had body switched. She just left out the whole body switch.

"This isn't a big deal." He told her.

Kat looked at him like he was crazy.

"Caleb this is a big deal. This could fix you guys so there isn't a problem."

"And what if our ancestors are right? We can't handle this without boundaries."

"Then you don't have as much faith in you as I do." Kat said

Kat hung her head slightly and moved to sit on her bed.

"I'm sorry." He then said.

"Me too." she mumbled. "I've just been so sucked into this."

"It's like it's taking you over and I think I know why." He said. "We've all thought about it, but nobody has really said anything and we barely act like we live here. You died."

Kat flinched at those words. She never wanted to hear them, but she did. It was she was obliterated right there.

"I didn't mean for it to happen and I still blame myself." He said.

Kat looked over at him as he sat beside her. His head hung like a broken bobble head. She didn't want to talk about it again. It was the main topic though.

"It has bothered me. It terrified me. It's why I'm doing this actually. It keeps me busy and it goes to something good. Ryan can be corporeal and you guys not aging and stuff. It kept me from thinking about it."

"We have to think about it Kat. It's what will put it in the past."

Kat nodded fighting to hold back crying. She didn't want to cry. She hated it in fact. She exhaled heavily as Caleb put a comforting arm around her.

"So, do you want help with this then? I know we haven't exactly been the housemates we should be not to mention we left you to do this when we shouldn't have." Caleb said.

"Caleb, it's not a big deal. We've all been stressing, some more than others." She said.

"Well, I hope to fix that or at least start to fix it." he said smiling. "I got take out. I was hoping we could all kind of sit and talk about anything other than our powers and things that have happened."

Kat gave a light hearted smile.

"Can I have a rain check?" she asked hopefully.

"Sure." He said. "You mind if I go over this?"

He pointed at the wall. He looked highly interested in it from Kat could tell.

"Yeah, I've done all I can. You guys will have to be the ones to find the answer. I need to work more with Ryan in any case." She answered.

She didn't get much of an answer from him as he was going into the trance she'd been in for the past month. She turned to leave when he called her.

"How come our fathers had it then?" he asked.

"Caleb, your ancestors put onto the next generations hoping they'd learn. Your fathers didn't learn if they're really old. They aged because of it. They enjoyed it too."

"What's that say about us?"

"That you have to be strong. You have to know better." She replied.

She left him to it and went downstairs. She grabbed her jacket and looked down at herself. She ran her hands through her hair then down her neck and sides then grabbed her chest and let out a relieved sigh.

"I'm a girl." She said with glee.

Then she looked around to see that no one was around. Shrugging she grabbed her keys from the group of keys that normally sat by the door and left. As she walked she pulled out her cell phone and texted Reid. He didn't answer at first. As she continued with the intention of just putting off what she needed to do she decided to go to Qwerty's. She hadn't been out in a while as it is. She wondered for a moment if Qwerty even wanted to see her.

Interrupting her thoughts her phone buzzed and it was a reply. He was at the Back Alley. Kat sighed and turned around.

* * *

><p>"Hey there," Reid greeted while he slung an arm around Kat.<p>

She shrugged it off looking around hoping nobody noticed.

"Embarrassed to be seen with me?" he questioned.

"No, but we need to talk." She said.

"About what?" he asked. "About Tyler finding out about us? The body switch?"

"Enough." She said coldly. "That wasn't my fault. That happened to be Tyler's idea gone wrong."

He didn't say anything and neither did she. It was as if he trying to start an argument with her. She figured he knew what she wanted to talk about. Whenever the words 'we need to talk' come out you always know.

"I-I'm not doing this anymore." She said.

Reid looked up at her confused.

"Doing what?" he asked hoping she wasn't talking about them.

"This." she said gesturing at herself and him.

She didn't like saying it either. It wasn't supposed to be hard and it wasn't supposed to hurt, but it did. It hurt and she wanted to run. Then again she kept telling herself that they weren't in a relationship. She didn't have any words for what they were. Looking up at him she felt her heart break. He looked at her coldly.

"This?" he said harshly.

"Don't act like that." She snapped. "We're not even in a relationship."

The One that Got Away started playing and made this whole situation feel worse. Kat turned to walk away unable to take it. Her heart felt heavy and she wanted it all to just go away. She didn't even think she felt that much for him, but her heart had lied to her. she did feel for him.

Reid stopped her by grabbing her hand though and moved in front of her. He took her face in his hands having broken down from his hard exterior.

"Don't. Just don't." he said as if pleading. "If you want something more I'll gladly give it."

"There's nothing to give Reid. It will never work. We're completely different. Or haven't you seen that." She said. "I used you so I didn't have to think about the fact that I died and that it could've been somebody else."

She didn't stop though. Numbness had completely taken over her by now.

"Do you get that?" she continued.

Reid was trying so hard not to listen. His eyes had had gone soft on her and she was trying not to look at him.

_No, this isn't happening. She can't just walk out._

Not giving her a chance to finish rambling he leaned in a pressed his lips to hers. It was soft and sweet. It something Kat hadn't felt and it made her heart swell as tears finally streaked her cheeks striking betrayal on her. She kissed him back as she felt the swelling move to the rest of her then pulled away and wiped her tears away. She looked at him then just shook her head no.

"It's all wrong. I don't expect you to get it. It's not even you." She sniffled. "It's my fault. I hoped that I would be able to skip all my internal problems with you…but it didn't work and…I hurt you…I'm sorry."

Reid watched her turn and run. This was it. She was gone…

* * *

><p>As soon as Kat got outside of the club the cool air stung her. Especially her wet cheeks. She didn't stand there too long with the thought of Reid following after her to try and stop her again. She couldn't take it if he did. She knew she'd cave if he did. At the m moment she needed to strong and know that it was the wrong time.<p>

Looking back at the door she thought about going back inside. She'd find him and hug him not wanting to let go. Reid would whisper that it was okay even though it wasn't.

Kat smirked then felt a small drop on her arm. She looked up at the clouded night sky. Thunder rumbled across the sky. The sky seemed to understand how she felt. It came down in small drops till it just outright down poured on her.

"At least nobody will be able to tell that I'm crying." She mumbled to herself.

* * *

><p>Qwerty yawned and got up as she heard her microwave beep. Moving to get her mac and cheese there was a knock at the door. She paused contemplating on getting her food first or opening the door and decided answering the door first.<p>

Opening it, she saw Kat standing there drenched and holding herself.

"Geez, get in here. Are you trying to catch a cold?" Qwerty said as she grabbed her and yanked her inside.

Kat didn't move. She stared down at the carpet. Then suddenly Kat fell to her knees and started sobbing uncontrollably. Qwerty crouched down not even bothering to ask and held her. She didn't know what else to do.

After a little while Qwerty moved her to the couch and got her a towel.

"Talk to me." Qwerty said.

"For longest time I wished…I wished that I was dead." Kat said.

Qwerty looked at Kat as if she'd be the one to start crying.

"Then I died. I-I Should've stayed dead. That's what I keep telling myself. It would be better." Kat said.

"Don't' you ever say that." Qwerty said coldly. "You became my friend. I seriously had no friends and if you look around I don't even have a roommate where you have four."

"And you've seen what they can do." Kat said. "Because of that, I died. Caleb told me that he blamed himself."

"Let him, but don't you dare think you're leaving earth. You came back for a reason."

"Qwerty, it's like there was some sort of emptiness in me."

"That happens when something traumatic goes on in one's life. We move on."

"I've kept moving on. Why can't I stand still?"

"Because you'll get ran over by a semi truck." Qwerty said.

Kat smirked at the analogy. She knew she was right. In her own way Qwerty did get things and was always good at giving advice. Kat sniffled.

Qwerty got up and came back a few minutes later with two cups of hot chocolate. She handed on to Kat who took a sip. It sent warmth down to her toes. Chocolate made every girl feel better no matter how bad they felt.

"I told Reid that whatever was going on between us was done." Kat then said.

"What?" Qwerty exclaimed.

"It's not right. For right now anyway." Kat said.

"Why!"

"The whole reason it started was because I wanted an escape. There was nothing there and then…" Kat trailed off.

"There was?" Qwerty finished.

"Yeah. There was, it was just the wrong time for the wrong reasons I think." Kat said. "In another life right?"

Kat half smiled at Qwerty. It faded though. Nothing would ever be the same. They'd move on, but it would never be forgotten. None of it would. Kat had changed. She wasn't the same anymore.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she quickly pulled it out. The text was from Reid. She hesitated before reading it.

_**You think it's over…It's not for me.**_

Kat closed her phone and set it aside. It was official. She wasn't going home tonight. There was a lot she had to catch up on with Qwerty anyways. She missed the girl time. She could talk about anything with her and spilling out her guts was exactly what she needed.

"Everything okay?" Qwerty asked.

"It will be, I think." Kat said.

**Long chapter, I know. Feel free to review. I would love that so much:)**


	25. News!

Things were difficult, but slowly they were making their way back to normal. Kat even out with Qwerty for some fun. It happened at least once a week. Caleb and Tyler were helping her with the whole power struggle and getting Ryan to be non-transparent. Reid…Reid wasn't around much. Kat didn't blame him. Tyler knew why. Kat had told him and even thought she thought he'd be mad about it, he wasn't. In fact, he said that it was probably best. Things were complicated at the current moment.

Caleb even took the time to get his head out of his books or what Reid normally said, getting his head out of his ass. Reid was in and out of the house and barely looked in Kat's direction. Tyler and her had gone to a few of his swim meets anyway to show support. She wasn't going to be at war with him as long as she lived in that house with him.

"Kat." Caleb said as he knocked on her door.

Kat turned over and pulled the covers over her head. He knocked again and she groaned unhappy.

"Get up." He said.

"You are not my alarm clock." She groaned half asleep.

"Yeah, well, get over it. You have classes today so get up!"

Kat rolled over and onto the floor with a thud. She looked up at her ceiling scowling at it. sitting up she stretched and yawned then crawled her way over to her closet to find clothes.

* * *

><p>"She up?" Tyler asked<p>

"More or less." Caleb answered.

"I can't wait to tell her." Tyler said.

"You're not saying anything." Caleb said.

"Why not?"

"Because."

"Shitty answer dude." Tyler smirked.

"It's the only answer you're getting."

Tyler shrugged and looked back down at his notes. Kat came down the stairs, her shoes stomping loudly. She'd put her hair into a messy ponytail. Stopping she looked at both of them then narrowed her eyes.

"What?" they both said simultaneously.

Kat just shook her head no as if nothing were wrong. She could tell they were hiding something though. Playing it off, she sat down beside Tyler. He looked at her and she smiled her usual I'm innocent look at him. He looked at Caleb who glared at him.

"Okay!" he said as if his arm had been twisted. "We might've found a way to end the curse."

Kat raised her eyebrows then smiled.

"Really!" she said excited.

They both nodded.

"And you didn't want to tell me?" Kat said to Caleb. "That is great news."

Caleb nodded in agreement. He couldn't hide the smile now. He was pretty happy about it too.

"I wanted to wait till we had Reid and Qwerty here. I know she's been helping out some too." Caleb said.

Kat nodded. She had too. She wasn't okay with them being all powerful, but even more she wasn't okay with even more powerful guys coming and trying to kill people. She was coming around. It just took time. Kat could accept that.

"Eh, they'll get the message." Kat shrugged too happy to care. "Another question though and we haven't exactly looked into it much, but uh…who are those other guys who don't have limits? You know…they uhh…yeah."

"What's the good news?" Ryan said as he came through the wall that he used to bleed all over.

"You probably already know." Kat said waving him off to hear the answer to her question.

"You're right." He grinned.

"Anyway," Caleb said grabbing their attention back. "We did. They work for this huge law firm called Were & Pire."

"Genius." Kat said sarcastically.

"They're on the west coast." He continued. "It's a good way to show just how much power they have and a good way to hide everything."

"They haven't come after us anymore. Why?" Kat said.

"One thing at a time." Tyler said.

"Well, I'm just wondering."

"They probably didn't expect the dead to come back to life."

Kat thought about it and nodded. They were right.

* * *

><p>"This is the last place I'd expect to run into you." Qwerty said as she stopped by a table that Reid had sat at.<p>

"It's quiet." He said not looking up at her.

"It's quiet." She mocked as she sat across from him. "You are pathetic."

He looked up at her glaring. She smiled at him as if she were in the best mood in the world. She knew what was wrong. Still, she just tapped her fingertips on the table.

"Have you looked in a mirror lately? I'm sure your reflection not only breaks the mirror, but isn't shy about telling you how pathetic you are." he leered.

The smile on her face didn't fade. Annoyance was exactly what Reid was starting to feel as he stared at her.

"What do you want!" he exclaimed not hiding it one bit.

"I was just wondering if you're alive in there? You seem to be avoiding your friends." She said unaffected by the yelling.

A few people looked at them from other tables. Qwerty looked right back at them with her own snotty look. One of them even shushed her. Feeling insulted she flipped them off. Reid snorted and started packing his books into his bookbag. The last thing he was looking for was to listen to her of all people.

"So, how pissed off are you?" Qwerty asked. "I mean it's been almost a week."

"What are you talking about?"Reid said as he was being followed by her out of the library.

"You and Kat." Qwerty said.

"Once again, what are you talking about?" he said turning to face her.

Qwerty took a step back. The look on his face was telling her to shut up. That what she was going on about was the last thing she should be going on about. She bit the inside of her cheek and debated about continuing on. Before she got a decision from her head she saw him walking off.

"It hurt her too, you know?" she called after him. "It's not like she did to purposely hurt you."

He paused midstep then continued on down the sidewalk. Not realizing she was holding her breath she let it go. She stomped the ground and cursed. The conversation wasn't supposed to go that way. She wasn't even supposed to say anything. Kat had told her to keep quiet and just let it go. That it was for the best for that to happen. Qwerty being Qwerty though couldn't let it go. She hated seeing her friend like this.

"Kat is going to kill me." Qwerty muttered.

* * *

><p>"Hey!" Qwerty called as she walked into the house.<p>

Kat came into the hallway and slung Qwerty to the side. A disgruntled Kat was inches from your face.

"What did you do?" she said with emphasis on each word. "Reid came back and snarled at me about my friends getting in my battles and the funny thing is that I didn't even know I was in a battle."

Qwerty stood there motionless and slightly scared to say anything.

"You know what? Nevermind. I'll be right back. Tyler and Caleb have something to tell you." Kat said and walked past her up the stairs.

Kat had her own mission. Getting to Reid's room she didn't even bother to knock. She walked right in and crossed her arms over her chest. He looked at her slightly amused.

"A battle. That's what you said we're in right? Well you know what? You win. I'm not fighting you. Just do me a favor and get over yourself. There are bigger and more important things going on. Drop the ego." She said harshly.

Reid just looked at her blankly and pulled out his earbuds from his ears. Kat scowled at him and picked up the closest thing nearby and threw it at him. Anger just kept pouring out and she didn't mind. He wanted to be hateful? She could be just as bad.

He ducked it barely and looked at her as if she were crazy. She picked up something else, that something else being a book and threw it at him. He ducked that too and made his way across the room to stop her. As she went to throw a calculator at him he grabbed her wrist and disarmed her. He didn't let go, but the both shared aggressive looks. Neither of them backing down none of which had any intention of even doing so.

A plan came to mind, the thought of her leaving because of what they'd had wasn't fair. Maybe he was being selfish, he didn't care. He never cared about his own selfishness. He even thought that Kat should cave in to her own selfishness. So, without a doubt let alone hesitation Reid quickly snaked his right hand around her neck and with a rough yet subtle pull, he brought her body tightly against his own as well as planting his lips to hers. She still tasted as sweet as she did though he didn't expect any different.

It only lasted a micro second if that, but he still felt satisfied with it. Her hand clasped over her mouth as if it were a sin.

"Let me say it this time." He said as she looked at him shocked. "You think it's over, it's not for me."

Kat's glare turned softer, but not by much. He'd take it. It made him smirk.

"I'm sorry you feel that way." she softly.

She was quiet after that and just stood there as if pondering about that kiss. Her fingers lingered at the edge of her lips then she lowered them.

"I wanted to tell you that…Caleb found a way to lift up that curse thing that you have issues with." She said as if in the distance. She turned and opened the door that she didn't realize had been shut. She figured it must've happened when he'd disarmed her from throwing things.

"You're really going to ignore it aren't you?" he said.

"It's better that way. Less dangerous…for both of us." She said then left and closed the door lightly.

Reid slammed his hand on his desk angrily. He didn't see the small tear that escaped her cheek when she reached the outside of his room. She didn't want him to. She didn't want him to see how close she was to giving into him.


	26. Kidnapped

Weeks had gone by and it seemed like maybe things weren't so complicated. Or at least that's what Kat told herself. It's what got her through the long days of class. Holidays had passed and they were utilized for work. Kat didn't care much about the holidays and turned down the offer to go to Ipswich with the guys for them. In the end Tyler decided to stay. Ryan stayed as well, not that he could really go anywhere except in the walls.

After break they had all sat down to a huge group dinner and talked about the events that went on. Reid glanced at Kat here and there and could see the smile. It was the smile that would sometimes be directed at him. He missed it, but slowly he was getting over it. He didn't want to get over it. He didn't want to get over her. Inside he felt like he was being ripped apart y this woman.

Kat caught him looking at her and smiled lightly hoping it would be returned. It wasn't. She accepted it like she accepted his cold shoulder.

"So, anything go on while we weren't here?" Caleb inquired.

"No, not really." Kat said taking a bite from her plate.

Tyler nodded in agreement. Ryan looked at Kat and shook his head. Conversation was easy.

"Pogue and Sarah are coming during spring break." Caleb then said wanting to get the subject of their power out of the way. "We need to get this age issue out of the way now that we know there's a way to beat it."

Kat smirked. Caleb was entertaining sometimes when he was in leader mode. Especially since it annoyed Reid. That made her laugh on the inside. As she went to open her mouth to say something there was a knock at the door.

"Got it." she said flatly.

She left the table and Ryan followed curiously.

"I know how to answer a door." Kat said.

"I just wanted to make sure." He teased.

"Ha. Ha." She said rolling her eyes.

"Actually, I was wondering that after this whole thing is doen if you were going to work on my becoming corporeal." He said.

"Yes, I figured I was. You really want that don't you?" Kat said, a smile playing on her face as she opened the door.

"Kat!" he yelled frantically.

Kat turned to see the person at the door and didn't get the chance to scream let alone slam the door shut. It was Scarface. He'd reached in quickly, his arms like snakes and he snatched. Kat tried to scream for Ryan to help her and he did. He reached out but his hand went completely through hers. Turning he yelled for the others, but it was hopeless since they couldn't hear him and Kat was being drug away to a black Jaguar outside the house.

"Kat!" he screamed. "No!"

He fought furiously as she was being drug away, but it was hopeless.

* * *

><p>Tyler opened his mouth to say something to Kat but saw she wasn't there. His brows furrowed being it didn't take that long to answer the door. Tyler noticed Reid was staring at her spot as if in deep thought. Reid glanced up at Tyler and nodded. They both stood to go see what was taking so long, but the squeal of tires outside got all of them to their feet and to the door.<p>

Ryan was on his knees at the door as they ran outside to see a black Jaguar make a u-turn and speed down the road.

"Kat!" Reid screamed running towards the car. The others were right behind them. They could see Kat struggling in the back window, her palm flattened towards the window as she elbowed her assailant. She yelled for help, but a hand was clasped over her mouth and she was yanked back.

Caleb was holding Tyler back, but Reid had chased the car only a few feet. It was gone down the road and so was she. Reid fell to his knees. Flashes of the two of them stumbled through his head because he wanted to take it all back. All of the shitty things he'd done to try to get his own way.

"Reid-" Caleb said.

Reid ignored him. Looking up, his fists clenched and cars along the whole road crunched and crumpled into useless pieced of junk. They flattened out down to nothing, a tire rolled across his path. It was all effortless.

"Reid!" Caleb shouted over the loud crunches of cars.

"If she dies," Reid said quietly as he stopped. He didn't finish because it was easy to get an idea of what he'd do.

"She won't die."

"She died once already!" Reid yelled. "Can you really say that?"

Caleb stepped up to him

"Yes, I can. I'll kill anybody that will try to."

Reid smirked. He could see the determination on Caleb's face. Reid walked past him forcefully knocking his shoulder in the process.

Caleb just stood there looking at the destruction Reid had caused. This would be impossible to explain. Caleb looked back and saw both Tyler and Reid go back inside the house. Caleb followed.

_This isn't happening. They aren't getting away with this._

* * *

><p>Kat had woken up and when she did she jumped to her feet ready to run.<p>

"Whoa." Said a deep voice attached to the set of well built arms that caught her around the waist.

Kat wasted no time fighting back. She brought back her elbow to her captor's face then stomped on his foot. He let go and she made for the blurry door that was open. She didn't seem to see anything, but that door. It swung shut thought and she froze in front of it. Slowly she turned breathing heavily and scared.

"Calm down." He said.

She balled up her fists being that calming down wasn't an option. She didn't know where she was and after everything she'd been through she wasn't going down, again, without a fight.

"Look, you're safe alright? Trust me on that." He told her.

Kat scoffed. Her kidnapper didn't look like scarface. Was this the big bad at the top? She tilted her head to the side and took in the built muscle in his arm and his dark shoulder length hair. Something wasn't right.

The guy sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"You are more trouble than what I've been told." He said actually chuckling.

"Excuse me?" Kat said feeling kind of insulted now.

He laughed even harder now. H wasn't even afraid of her in the slightest. It got her angry.

"Look, there are people looking for me. People you don't want to mess with." She threatened.

He was quiet at that. His smile didn't fade though.

"Oh I know. I've already called them."

Kat's eyebrows scrunched together out of confusion.

"You called them." She said blankly.

"Yeah, you'll be here for the next few days." He said. "I'm Pogue by the way. Pogue Perry."

**I know it's been a very long while, feel free to shoot me for it. But I hope you like the chapter. I hope to update sooner next time.**


	27. I Want To Be A Fish

Kat sat in a chair across from still confused. She didn't get what he was telling her.

"I don't get it." she said.

"Neither do I," he said "but that's what happened. I used a little so I could find you and you in the middle of an alley covered in blood."

Kat gulped picturing. Had the ones that kidnapped her make her do something? She couldn't remember anything since she had been knocked out from trying to escape. Now, she was on the west coast.

"Well," she sighed. "Are the others coming to get me or am I going back by myself?"

She wasn't entirely sure of the situation. She'd been here for the past three days and for once it felt nice. Kat had escaped for a while and didn't think about much of anything. She slept more than anything and Pogue had been around. He was easy to talk to and reminded her a little of Caleb, not much but a little. And he was better about some things like the whole 'using'. The others always remained on edge about it, but with him she was able to study it better because h wasn't shy. Granted Reid wasn't shy, but he and she weren't on the best terms. She'd even talked to Pogue about that. It was strange that she'd blabbed about a lot to him. He seemed to keep it private though and she was grateful.

"Don't worry about it. Just relax for a few more days alright?"

"Relax…yeah." She said looking off into the distance that wasn't there.

"What?" He asked with a serious look on his face.

"Just thinking." She said quietly. "I think I'm going to go for a walk."

Kat hadn't left the apartment since she'd gotten there. Getting up, she left leaving Pogue to wonder what was on her mind. His first guess would've been the right thing though. She was thinking about how deep she'd dug herself into their lives. She had completely lost the whole aspect of what she'd gone to college for. She didn't even talk to Terra anymore. Nothing was what it was supposed to be.

Kat walked all the way down to the beach. It was about a mile, a peaceful mile. It was peaceful enough that she could hear her own thoughts and start to go through them to makes sense of everything. For example, the question Pogue posed to her. Why did she want to help get rid of the aging which was attached to their power? She told him that it was because she had died and it was hard to think about, but she was thinking about it all over again. And when she did think about it she saw Tyler's smiling face and Caleb laughing then Reid's face staring at her with that look, the look that said more than word could. Even Ryan popped into her mind and how she could help give him a second chance. They all could.

She cared about them. That was why. She was willing to die for them and had done so already. They mattered.

Kat got to the beach and made her way towards the waves. She slipped her shoes off and stepped to the edge as the waves washed to shore. She closed her eyes and for the first time in a while she smiled. After a few seconds she turned and walked a bit then sat in the sand. There weren't many people around just a couple walking their dog and a few kids poking a jellyfish.

Kat ignored everything around her. She was still thinking about it all.

"You can't be alone you know."

Kat sighed as Pogue came from behind her and sat down. She didn't say anything. She just looked out at the ocean and wondered what it'd be like to be a fish.

_Being a fish wouldn't be that complicated unless you get caught but fisherman, then it's complicated. Being human on the other hand, much more complicated. You die then get brought back and you lose your sister and you see dead people and the people who killed you kidnap you and you wake up on the west coast not to mention you sleep with one of your housemates which by the way they all happen to be guys and you don't know how to feel and…Gah! Just, being a fish would be easier. They swim around all day plus their memories don't last long and they can forget anything horrible that has happened._

* * *

><p>"She'll be back in a few days." Tyler said.<p>

"Why not now?" Reid said "Where we all can watch her."

"Yeah, what the dumbass said." Qwerty chimed in.

Caleb rolled his eyes. Tyler scowled at her.

"It was her choice." Tyler said.

Silence engulfed the living room. Qwerty was staring at the floor as if trying to hide the fact that she might start crying. Reid just scratched the back of his neck stressfully.

"What if she doesn't come back?" Qwerty then asked.

She didn't look up. Reid looked at her sharply and so did Tyler.

"I don't know. You don't think she wouldn't come back do you?" Tyler asked.

"She's failing three of her classes." Qwerty said with a shrug.

"She'll come back." Reid said nonchalantly then got up and left.

Caleb remained silent the whole conversation. He didn't know what to say. He nearly let her get killed again. How they found her was a miracle and how she'd gotten across the country was a mystery. All of them though including Qwerty knew that some mysteries were better left to remain mysteries. Especially Kat's.

The phone rang right then snapping him from his thoughts and Qwerty got up from the couch.

"I'll see you guys later I guess. I'm going to go to the library. Keep me updated will you?" she said.

"Hold up, I'll go with." Tyler said as he grabbed his coat.

Caleb waved them off and went to answer the phone. The door closed.

"Hello?" he said into the receiver.

"Caleb," it was Kat "We can't prolong this."

"What if it goes wrong?"

"We'll deal with it when and if it does, but As soon as we get there we're doing this."

"We?"

"Pogue and I." she said then hung up.

* * *

><p>Kat looked over at the sleeping form on the couch. Kat wasn't tired. Her mind had gone right back to her mission. Her moment of thinking about escaping as a fish was over. There were more important things than what she wanted anyways.<p>

Sighing Kat went towards the kitchen to get a cup of coffee. It would be a long night of not sleeping. She didn't want to have nightmares tonight.

**So the next chapter should be interesting. I hope you like the chapter and do review :)**


	28. Promises

They had gotten off the plane quickly or at least Kat had and Pogue was keeping up. She'd had and energy drink or two and was high wired.

"Well, would you look at that."

Kat spun around from the luggage pick up and saw Tyler with a big grin on his face.

"She goes and gets herself kidnapped and gets a vacation out of it." he said.

"I couldn't help it. With all the craziness I put up with I sure as hell deserve a vacation." She said.

"Qwerty's in the car waiting." He said.

"Can we go then?" Pogue said.

"Excited to see old friends?" Kat inquired.

"Something like that." He said.

The expression on his face was unreadable. Kat knew how uncomfortable he was. They had both talked about it on the plane ride. They needed something to center on in order for it to work. It wasn't as if the power they were connected to was all light and such. It was dark and therefore needed some heavy duty ingredients. Kat didn't want to think about it though and she didn't.

They all got into Caleb's silver Porsche which Tyler borrowed.

"Ready?" Tyler asked everyone.

Pogue looked over at Kat who was looking out the window.

"Yeah, we're good."

* * *

><p>Walking in the door Kat instantly felt a set of arms around her.<p>

"Don't you ever do that again." Reid whispered.

"Can't. Breathe.' She managed.

He let go quickly and stepped back only for Caleb to swoop in and hug her. Once again the air was squeezed out of her lungs. This time she couldn't feel the floor underneath her feet.

"Caleb." She breathed.

He let go and scratched the back of his head then chuckled.

"Sorry."

Kat just nodded and rubbed her sore sides. Ryan stood in the back. He looked at the ground with a guilt ridden look. Kat pushed past the others who went to greeting Pogue.

"Hey." She said to him.

He looked up.

"I'm so glad you're okay." He said "I'd hug you and probably not let go, but-"

He stopped himself and looked down at his hands which were incapable of holding anything.

"It won't be that way forever." She said as she reached out and held her hands up over his. They stood there looking down at their hands that almost touched.

"Yeah." He said only half believing that.

"You know, don't even know how I got out of the situation I was in." she said to switch subjects.

"You serious?"

Kat nodded and explained what happened. That Pogue told her that he had found her.

"That's unreal." Ryan said.

"I know. I've been really freaked out about it." she said.

"And the guys have been freaked out about your kidnapping since it happened. It's been a mad house."

Kat nodded. She wasn't sure how to respond to it. She looked back at the reunion in progress. They were brothers more or less. It made Kat miss Whitney. She looked down at the hardwood floor then back up at the boys. Qwerty had left and gone home because of early morning classes.

"I'm going to go to bed." Kat said to Ryan.

She passed by the boys quietly and went upstairs. She turned on the light and let out a deep breath. Nothing had been moved or touched. Her eyes roamed over the room till they settled on the wall covered in weeks upon weeks of research she'd done. Stepping towards it, she took a closer look. Then starting with the piece of paper in the left corner she took it all down. With each piece coming down she could feel the weight of it all lifting from her shoulders.

"Redecorating?"

Kat turned to see Reid in the doorway.

"Something like that." She answered quietly.

"Good. You don't need that shit taking over your life."

"No, it won't. It'll be over tomorrow." She said.

"Right, tomorrow." he said "I don't want you involved."

"Hate to burst your bubble…no I don't. I don't care about your bubble. I'm going to help. Get over it." she said.

"Kat, this is serious."

"No shit, Reid." She snapped "That's why I'm doing this. People I know and care about are involved."

"Just don't-" he stopped

"Don't what?"

"Don't die."

Reid left and Kat wanted to yell at him. He went across the hall to his room and closed the door. Kat closed her door then finished taking apart the wall and putting it in the trash can. Then she changed into her pj's and went to bed. She didn't dream that night. Her sleep was pitch black.

She awoke at seven in the morning without the help of her alarm clock. For a little while she just laid there and stared up at the ceiling. Eventually she crawled out of bed and got a shower. Going to class didn't cross her mind once. She hadn't been to class in over month at least. She just took her time and enjoyed the hot water caressing her skin as it turned it a light shade of red.

After drying her hair she put it up in a ponytail then grabbed the jacket she stole off of Tyler and put on over her black tank top. It seemed to go with her black converses well enough. She shrugged not caring too much. As far as looking like a chick went she kind of let it go a little. She didn't mind all that much either.

Kat shrugged and walked out. It was only eight-thirty. Nobody was awake. Kat walked past Pogue who was sleeping on the couch and was snoring lightly. She smirked at his awkward position. She grabbed and apple then made her way for the front door. She grabbed her keys on the way out. The admissions building was open by now.

* * *

><p>"Anybody see Kat?" Tyler asked as he entered the kitchen.<p>

Pogue shook his head as he shoveled a mouthful of eggs into his mouth. Reid who was staring aimlessly out the kitchen window with a cup of coffee in his hands looked over quickly. Then as if on cue the fornt door opened and closed.

"Morning!" Kat called as she dropped her keys onto the small table by the door.

"Where have you been?" Caleb asked as she entered the kitchen.

"Had things to do." She answered "I didn't know I had to tell you every move I make."

Ryan laughed as he popped into the room. Kat smiled sarcastically along with him.

"You were the one kidnapped remember?" Caleb said.

"Maybe she bumped her head." Tyler joked.

"Yes, I remember, sort of." Kat said.

Pogue and her shared a glance then she shrugged.

"Oh well." Kat said.

The front door opened again.

"Do people not know how to knock anymore!" Reid exclaimed.

"I heard that!" Qwerty said.

"Good." Reid said then finished his coffee "Now, I have class. See you guys later."

"Yeah, Kat let's go. We have class too."

"I'm taking today off." Kat replied.

"You're really behind."

"I know. I just-I'm just really out of it." Kat said.

It wasn't a complete lie. Caleb stared at her suspiciously. Tyler however shrugged so he, Reid and Qwerty left. Kat moved toward the sink and started doing the dishes. Pogue set his empty plate beside it then left the kitchen.

"What's going on?" Caleb asked.

"What do you mean?" Kat asked.

"Not going to class? Why am I just finding this out?"

Kat paused then looked at him with raised eyerows.

"Okay, DAD, because it's not your business."

"Your under my roof." He said.

"Which I pay double rent to live under." She countered.

Caleb bit the inside of his cheek.

"It is wrong to be a little worried about your education?" he asked a little crudely.

"It is when you try to make it your life." She said.

Kat didn't look at him.

"It's okay to care, but there's a difference in caring and trying to live my life for me." She said "You go live your life okay? And when you guys get back we'll fix your life up even more."

A smile pulled at the corners of her mouth.

"Geez, now you sound like my mother." He said jokingly.

"Don't like it do you?" she said smiling wider.

Then Caleb did something that shocked Kat. it shocked her mainly since she expected it from Tyler. Caleb stuck his tongue out at her. She just stared at him stunned at his childish act.

* * *

><p>After doing the dishes Kat moved to the living room and sat beside Pogue who was watching a horror movie. Kat smiled then started laughing at one part. Pogue just looked at her as if she were crazy.<p>

"Oh come on! It's predictable!" she said trying to prove herself "That dumb chick is going to run upstairs."

Pogue watched the screen and like Kat said she ran upstairs. Soon enough both of them were laughing and calling out what would happen next and even started making up their own lines of what the people would say in the movie.

Tyler and Reid came back from classes to see them laughing and carrying on. They both looked at the screen to see a man getting stabbed.

"They've lost it." Tyler said.

"I blame the girl. Since she moved in everything's gone to hell." Reid joked.

The two of them joined Kat and Pogue.

When Caleb came in around four from classes there was nobody downstairs. The tv was off and it was quiet.

"Does anybody live here?" Caleb called out.

"Or course." Kat said coming up from the cellar "We were waiting on you."

Caleb dropped his bookbag on the couch and made his way towards her. She went downstairs. When the two of them got down there she went and stood near Reid. Candles lit the room up.

"We're doing this now?" Caleb asked.

"There's no better time." Kat said.

"There were would never be a better time." Reid added.

Kat rolled her eyes.

"Let's just get this done." She said.

Caleb nodded and moved to join the circle. Kat moved into the center of the circle where Ryan was. The four of them surrounded her. She felt extremely small right then. She looked at each of them then closed her eyes.

"It's not going to feel pleasant for either of you. Thin khappy okay?" Caleb said.

Kat just nodded.

"Kat, I'm a little scared."

"We'll be okay." She said.

She didn't completely believe herself though.

The boys looked at each other then looked directly at Kat as their eyes took on the dark form.

"Concentrate!" Caleb ordered "Anything bad that has ever happened, now or then, use it!"

Kat started whimpering as she started to feel something. It was like a burning on her skin. Then it turned into a scratching on her skin and she slapped at it.

"Kat, don't." Ryan said.

"It won't quiet." She said.

"There's nothing there."

Then as she went to slap at her skin again a hand seized hers. She looked up to meet a set of black eyes. They were Tyler's. His other hand held Reid's who's held Pogue's then Caleb's. She became dazed as she stared. Ryan took Kat's other hand even though it just sat in her hand.

Kat felt as all the burning and scratching increase. The feeling of bugs crawling under her skin could be felt now too. She cried.

"We have to stop." Caleb then said as he saw her pain.

"No!" she screamed "Keep going. You know you have to!"

Caleb continues on trying to use his power which combined with the other three's power to push out the curse. Kat's skin began to splotch grey in some places and she screamed making everyone in the room jump. None of them let go though. Kat's scream came out dark and demonic. Her eyes shot open and were black.

"Her eyes!" Pogue exclaimed.

"Don't stop." Caleb ordered.

The house began to shake and the candles all around them blazed high. Kat screamed again as she grabbed her head. Ryan yelled at them, but they couldn't see a thing. Then all of the sudden it all stopped. Kat looked at the four of them feeling light headed and dizzy then passed out.

"Kat!" Reid yelled.

He fell to her side and checked her pulse.

"She's okay."

"Define okay." Ryan spat even though they wouldn't hear.

Kat moved slightly in Reid's arms. Her eyes opened a little and all she saw was big blurs of darkness.

"Did it work?" she asked.

Reid laughed lightly and brushed her hair from her face. Then he helped her up slowly. Kat leaned on him and watched each of the boys use their abilities. Each of them 'used' and when they did Kat felt something in her gut twist. She looked down at her hands. They were shaky and pale.

Reid looked at her.

"Are you okay?"

"Something isn't right." She croaked sill looking at her hand.

He looked at it too.

"No…" he breathed.

"What is it?" Pogue asked.

Reid took her face into his hands and looked deeply at her.

"She has it. She has the curse." He said.

In the next instance Kat collapsed to the ground trying to breathe.

"We have to get it out of her. Now!" Reid yelled.

Caleb pushed Reid aside and took Kat's face in his own hands. She tried to push him away.

"Don't take it back." She said barely.

"I have no plans to. It's not staying in you though." he said darkly.

His eyes turned black and Kat gasped. His thumbs pressed her temples lightly and it was as if he was in an internal battle. She whimpered and her eyes clouded over as if she had a cataract in both. The milky white in both eyes then poured out as if they were tears. Kat didn't stop crying after it had left her.

"I couldn't see." She cried "I couldn't see."

"It's over." He whispered to her.

His eyes had turned back into their natural brown. He kissed her forehead. The others just stood there unable to think of words that would comfort her. They had basically tortured her with her permission thinking it would be a good thing to have an object to push the curse out through. Instead it got stuck in her and nearly killed her.

Caleb picked up the young woman and carried her upstairs to her room. She didn't sleep. She sat in her room where she played. When the sun came above the horizon she went downstairs and made breakfast knowing that Pogue would be leaving soon for the West coast.

The breakfast was quiet. Reid took pride as he 'used' that morning just to get the syrup.

"Reid." Caleb reprimanded.

"Can you get the butter too?" Kat asked.

Reid did so with a smile. Caleb gave Kat look that said she wasn't helping.

"Last night was hell, it's better to get some use." She shrugged.

She looked over at Ryan who watched them all. All he ever did was watch.

"Plus, it's better to get some practice and all." She added.

"Practice?" Tyler said.

"Yep, before we work on making Ryan corporeal." She said.

Nobody said anything to that. They all stared blankly at Kat. The only noise made in the dining room was Tyler's fork falling from his fingers and hitting his plate.

"I promised." She said quietly.


	29. Linger

Ryan paced outside of Kat's room nervously. The four of them had been yelling at each other for hours. Ryan was too afraid to face them.

"Why would you promise something like that!" Caleb yelled at Kat.

"Don't yell at her." Reid growled "She is only trying help him."

"Shut up you lovesick puppy."

Reid glared at Caleb; his eyes changing. Kat hit Reid in the chest.

"Now isn't the time for that." She hissed.

"I'm trying to stick up for you!" he exclaimed.

"I didn't ask you to!" she said back just as loud "I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself."

"Says the girl who died and got kidnapped." Tyler mumbled.

Kat looked over at him in disbelief.

"What the hell! Is it pick on Kat day?" her voice quivered.

She looked at each of them.

"God forbid I wanted to help my friend." She said.

"Then why not tell him to move on?" Tyler shot at her.

"He's tried that already. He's stuck." She said.

"Messing with life and death is no joke." Caleb said in a calm tone.

"I didn't hear you reprimand Tyler about me." She countered with a cocky look "Don't worry though. If you don't want to help me I'm sure there are ways I can do it on my own."

Kat didn't listen anymore. She turned and opened her door to leave. She jumped seeing Ryan pacing there.

"We'll find a way okay? You won't be stuck forever." She told him.

"Kat-" Caleb started.

"Don't talk to me." She said "You each have said your piece. I get it."

She paused halfway down the stairs then turned around and went back to her room only to grab her jacket and then leave. She was so furious that she couldn't think straight. It was the perfect opportunity to do something not selfish. They didn't seem to care a few months ago. They actually seemed all gung-ho about it.

Kat walked hastily on the sidewalk. She mumbled to herself angrily. As she rounded the next corner a gust of wind surrounded her. Her hair whipped around her face and she wrapped her arms around herself to try and protect herself from its hard push on her body. Then all of the sudden it stopped as if on command. It didn't feel right. Kat didn't feel completely alone. She turned a three-sixty, but saw no one. It was creepy and disturbing. Her heart was beating hard in her chest. It was telling her to run. She knew that even though she couldn't see anything that it wasn't there.

Following her instincts she took off back to the house. Her feet barely touched the ground as she ran. She saw the house wasn't and dart up the walk way and through the front door. She slammed it shut behind her.

"You okay?"

Kat's head snapped towards Tyler who had spoke quietly to her. Her chest rose and fell fast. She gulped down air and just nodded.

"Just remind me not to go out at night. Alone anyway." She said.

"I thought that was a given." He tried to joke.

Kat straightened up and scoffed a little. Without a single word to him she turned for the stairs.

"Wait." Tyler said making his way towards her.

She stopped and looked at him with a flat look. She had nothing to say. There was nothing she could say without getting attacked apparently.

"Do you really want to do this for him?" he asked.

"Tyler, not once did I stutter earlier. Of course I want this. I know he wants it too and I can't break this promise to him. I've broken enough promises and I don't plan to break anymore." She said thinking about Whitney.

"Okay, let's do this before the others get back." He said.

"What?" she said shock written on her face.

"They're out looking for you, so we don't have a lot of time. Call Ryan, he'll need to be nearby." Tyler said.

I nodded blankly.

"Ryan!" I called.

"Right here." Ryan said popping up beside her.

She jumped when he answered.

"I take it he's here by the way you jumped." Tyler said.

He was worried and scared. Kat knew just as well as he did that he wasn't the rule breaking type. No part of him was a rebel, well, maybe a small part.

He grabbed my hand and I began to feel nervous.

"It's going to take both of us since we're playing with the dead and we better hope that we don't bring more than just Ryan back from the dead." Tyler said.

Kat only nodded as she took his other hand and his eyes turned black.

"Ryan," Tyler said.

His voice was cold and deeper than his natural tone of voice.

"If you can hear me then hold on."

Both Kat and Ryan gulped. Ryan looked down at his hands as he felt a tingle then it turned to a burning. He screamed and collapsed to the ground in seconds.

"Ryan!" Kat screamed.

She tried to let go to help him, but Tyler tightened his grip on her hands nearly breaking them.

"Don't you dare let go you stupid bitch." Tyler spat.

Kat trembled terrified. Tyler wasn't being Tyler. Kat tried to free herself from his grip, but she wasn't succeeding. Instead she was feeling weaker, lighter. Looking down where Tyler had a death grip on her hands there was blood dripping from them. She looked over at Ryan who was now fading from her sight. Her eyes went wide.

"Ryan!" she yelled.

"Concentrate!" Tyler barked at her.

"On what!" she yelled with just as much ferocity.

Kat closed her eyes thinking about how meeting Ryan has affected her life. Flashes of almost two years together were flowing through her mind.

"Ryan." She cried.

He was gone. She couldn't see him now. Tyler shoved Kat to the floor and let go of her. she looked up at him as tears ran down her cheeks. His eyes slowly faded from the dark abyss.

"Kat," he breathed dropping ot the floor beside her "I'm so sorry. Oh god, what have I done."

"Where did he go?" she said forgetting about how he acted.

"I don't know what happened. It was like the power took over or something." He said ignoring what she'd said.

He took her hands in his more gently this time.

"You're bleeding." He added looking at the finger nail marks in her skin.

"Tyler," she said slipping her hand from his and taking hold of his face so that he'd look at her "He's gone."

She didn't care about the blood being smeared on his face. She didn't find it important.

"What?"

"Ryan's gone. He just faded away." She said trying to breathe.

"Are you sure?"

"I can't see him!" she sobbed.

Kat fell into Tyler's arms and broke down. Tyler's mind raced. He felt something come over him and he knew he couldn't stop. It was powerful and now he didn't even know what he did.

The front door opened and they both looked up at Reid and Caleb.

* * *

><p>Among the hundreds of graves a hand shoots out of the ground and then another hand. The body come out of the grave with much difficulty only to look at the tombstone laid before it.<p>

"Whoa."

**Here Lies Ryan Sanders**

"They did it." he said as he reached out and touched the stone.

* * *

><p>She stares down at her tombstone.<p>

"I don't understand." She mumbled.

She brushed more dirt from her favorite dress. She never imagined herself waking up in a casket. It was rather scary.

"Katherine, where are you?" she said.

* * *

><p>He grinned evilly at the house where they stayed.<p>

"I couldn't be happier to be back, in a more solid form anyway." He said "In due time Danvers we'll meet again."

He turned and started down the sidewalk whistling to himself. He thought about how only last year he'd taken over a pathetic freshman to torment Caleb's housemate knowing that he wasn't telling her everything. What shocked Chase was that she had come back. She wasn't as sweet as Sarah, but Reid certainly didn't have a problem with that. Chase also thought about how he backfired Tyler's little spell which caused him and her to switch bodies.

Now, he was back. They had no idea that he'd been lingering around them and that he knew everything. Even things that they didn't share with each other like how Kat dropped out of college, Reid was resorting to being an actual slut which is why he's been kicked off the swim team for not showing up to the matches or practice, Tyler has found interesting ways to get smarter to keep his 4.0 GPA and Caleb being the golden boy he is has taken Kat to be his little sister and has found it easier to control her life than his own.

"This is going to be fun." He said with a chuckle.


	30. No Longer A Dream

The four of them sat at the dining room table. That seemed to be where they sat for house meetings. It reminded Kat of King Arthur and the knights at the round table, Caleb being King Arthur and Reid probably being Lancelot while Tyler would be Merlin leaving her to be Lady of the Lake. Kat nodded about Tyler being Merlin while thinking about the power use a few hours ago. Then she shook her head making a weird face about the analogy.

"So you were just consoling her?" Caleb asked.

Reid rolled his eyes. Tyler paused and glanced at Kat.

"Yeah, that's all it was." Kat said covering for him as she rubbed over her hands. They'd stopped bleeding but were a little bruised. In time it would heal. She was more bothered that they didn't save Ryan. "I'm tired. I'm going to bed."

Kat scooted back from the table.

"Kat." Caleb said stopping her.

"Goodnight." She said coldly. She had nothing to say to him. The night had been long and it was almost dawn. Her body would hurt terribly when she woke up from sleeping. Caleb followed her through the living room trying to speak to her. The words that came out of his mouth went through one ear and out the other. She just didn't care.

Kat halted in her path towards the stairs and looked at the door quizzically. Caleb grabbed her arm precariously as he nearly ran into her. Kat sighed exhausted. She walked over to the door and opened it. She wondered why anybody would be coming over here so early let alone knock at the door. Everyone they knew just walked in.

Looking up, Kat froze. Her dark brown eyes met a set of green ones.

"Do we know you?" Caleb asked

Kat sucked in a breath and laughed a little. She reached up and brushed his brunette hair from his eyes. Not caring that he was dirty she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him.

"I can touch you." She breathed half sobbing.

She couldn't believe it. She could touch him. She let go then laughed and smiled as she took his face in her hands. It did work.

"Ryan." She said.

Underneath the dirt he was wearing a black suit, the tie having been taken off Kat guessed. She did care what he looked like. She was just glad he was alive.

"I thought something worse happened." She said.

"I had to go back to my body I guess." He chuckled.

"Ryan." Caleb said from behind Kat.

Kat had forgotten he was standing there. Her whole body went stiff and her eyes wide. She slowly turned her head to look at him.

"Oh shit." Tyler mumbled peeking out from the kitchen.

Caleb glared at Kat. He grabbed her hands and looked down at them. Kat winced as he did.

"So this is what it's from? You brought him back? You could've been killed! You could've killed Tyler or at least that's who I imagined did this with you!" he yelled at Kat "How could you be so stupid! There was a reason I said it wasn't a good idea. There's a chance that Ryan isn't the only you brought back from the dead!"

Kat flinched as if she'd been hit.

"Go to hell." She spat darkly.

He cocked his head shocked. The anger between the two of them rose. Tyler and Reid wondered if they would start fist fighting. Neither of them had ever seen Caleb so angry. He looked back at the kitchen and glared at Tyler. He and Reid shrank back into the kitchen.

"Leave him out of it. You want to blame somebody; you stick it all on me." Kat snapped.

"You couldn't even tell me." Caleb said switching subjects "You flat out lied."

"You act like it's such a shocker." She said with hateful sarcasm "It's not only me."

Caleb shook his head at her.

"You are not who I thought you were." He said in a quiet tone. It sounded as if he were giving up.

"People change." She said.

He turned and walked upstairs in defeat. Kat felt tears well up but just blinked them away. Tyler came into the living room with his pockets.

"Reid bolted out the back door, probably off to The Back Alley." Tyler told her.

Kat shrugged pretending not to care. She had a feeling why he went out so much. She just tried not to think about it. Tyler held out his hand to Ryan.

"Good to finally see you." He said with a smirk.

Ryan took his hand and nodded.

"You can take the couch." Tyler said.

Tyler turned to Kat and wrapped his arms around her shoulder.

"Things will work out okay? Caleb's just really worked up." He told her softly.

She nodded knowing otherwise. Tyler kissed her forehead and went upstairs.

Ryan stepped in and closed the door. He slid his jacket off his shoulders and set in on the arm of the couch. He moved around Kat and she shuddered a little as he did. He sat back on the couch.

_What the hell? I just shuddered because of him. _

He was feeling the couch. Then he just held his hands up marveling them. Kat marveled more than that though. Her eyes trailed over his face, arms, torso. Kat looked away from him quickly.

_Oh no. I hadn't really thought about it. He wasn't all touchable so of course I wouldn't think about it. Is it wrong to think about him like that? Whether it's wrong or right I'm thinking about him like that._

She bit her lip and looked at him.

"Your hands alright? I saw Tyler go freaking nuts." Ryan said

His voice sounded husky.

"Yeah, it's nothing major. He's already spent plenty of time apologizing." She half laughed.

She moved towards him and sat down beside him. His thigh brushed hers a little. It didn't escape her. She felt incredibly nervous and couldn't describe why. She'd never had these feelings before with him. Then again he wasn't corporeal till now.

"I'll be doing plenty of that with Caleb though." She added.

Ryan slung an arm around Kat's neck. She looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"I'm forever grateful." He said to her.

His eyes met hers and she just smiled. The way he stared at her quickened her heart. She leaned into him, her body relaxing. He was warm and it made some of the ache in her body fade away. With his other hand he caressed her cheek. She felt dizzy. It was a feeling she hadn't felt with anybody, not even Reid. She wondered how it would feel to kiss him.

"I-I should go to bed." She said still not looking away from him.

"Yeah." He agreed.

Kat pulled away and got up. She tucked her bangs behind her ear.

"Goodnight Ryan." She said quietly, sweetly.

"It'll be different." He said.

"What?" she inquired.

"Not watching you sleep." He said truthfully.

Kat was taken aback.

"You watched me sleep?" she asked.

_Should I be creeped out?_

"It was beautiful and made me wonder what it was like to dream." He said.

Kat smiled. It was stupid in her opinion, but none the less it sounded like Ryan.

"Sounds deep." She joked.

"Haha" he said sarcastically "Goodnight."

Kat winked at him and went upstairs to her room. Opening her door she paused before going in. she looked across to Reid's room then went into his room. With the sun coming up it wasn't completely dark. She could see enough to get around in the room. She sat on his bed and looked at his pictures. He had on his nightstand and a few others on his desk. The one on his nightstand was him with Caleb, Tyler and Pogue. She smiled. They all looked happy in the photograph.

Kat got up and moved over to his desk to look at the other ones. They were more recent since she was in them. One was with her, Caleb and Reid. It was Before Tyler moved in. there was another one with all four of them. Kat was sitting in Reid's lap. Caleb was arguing with him about being difficult while Tyler was laughing about it. She was ruffling Tyler's hair. Her tongue was sticking out. She looked at another one now. It was just her and Reid. She'd never seen the way he looked at her. She couldn't imagine how it tore him up inside. It tore her up as well. She locked it up tight and hoped it would fade. Reid deserved better anyways. Someone who hadn't died and decided to always put herself in danger's way.

"That's okay. I'll be gone soon." she said "It'll be easier."

* * *

><p>Qwerty had been working all night and she couldn't believe she'd be going to class in a few hours. She smiled widely thinking about her comfy bed that was waiting for her back at the apartment. The nap would do some good after having to take orders from truck drivers who eyed her like candy all night.<p>

As she was making her way to her car she fiddled in her bag to pull out her keys. Chink!

"Damn it." she hissed to herself. She bent down and picked them up off the asphalt.

Standing back up she paused. She looked skeptically as the couple. One of them looked familiar. Her mouth formed 'O' and she hurriedly fumbled with her keys so she could unlock her car. It was Reid with some chick. She was a redhead. Qwerty wanted to go yell at him because he was being a skank, but she figured that she could let Kat do that. Kat loved doing that.

Qwerty got into her car and looked at Reid and the redhead groping at each other.

_I wonder if they feel anything._

* * *

><p>Kat fell asleep as soon as she hit the mattress. She didn't even bother getting under the covers.<p>

Caleb cracked her door open. He hadn't gone to sleep. He'd been cooped up in his room trying not to punch holes through the walls. He watched her sleep peacefully.

_Does this mean things will finally go back to normal? I don't want to lose you, but you scare me so much. _

Caleb exhaled heavily and walked to her bedside. He brushed her bangs from her face.

"It's a new day." He whispered.

Then he pulled the blanket at the end of the bed up over her. She mumbled a little then sunk deep into her pillow.

* * *

><p>Ryan lay sprawled on the couch sleeping for the first time in nearly seven years. He dreamt about a girl. She was beautiful and brave and always seemed to put her life aside for others even if that meant she could die. He wanted to hold her.<p>

* * *

><p>Kat dreamt of somebody she hadn't dreamt of in a long time. Whitney.<p>

"It's like staring at myself." Kat laughed.

They were both wearing blue jeans with Tyler's jacket.

"I do like this jacket." Whitney laughed.

"You'd like the one I got it off of even more." Kat winked.

"I bet. Since when do you live with boys anyway? Mom would be shocked."

"No doubt." Kat said.

Silence soon came between them. Kat took Whitney's hand.

"I miss you so much."

"I know." She said.

The two of them hugged tightly.

* * *

><p>A young woman with dark auburn hair to mid back wandered along the sidewalks. People were going to work or to early morning classes. She smiled thinking about how cool it would be to be one of the one's going to classes. While thinking about it she stopped and looked up at a building. Someone in a rush bumped into nearly knocking her to the ground.<p>

"Oh sorry! I didn't mean to-" she stopped mid sentence "Kat?"

The young woman looked at her blankly.

"Sorry, you have the wrong person."

Before she could say anything more she walked away. Qwerty stared after her with wide eyes.

"This has to be one of those witchy things." She mumbled. Qwerty pulled out her cell phone and dialed Kat's number.

* * *

><p>The phone buzzed on Kat's desk. Kat turned over underneath the blanket.<p>

Reid heard it as he went to go to his room to get ready for class. He hadn't gone to bed yet. Slowly he crept into her room. He stopped as he saw her. She reminded him of Sleeping Beauty. Her phone buzzed loudly again.

"How can you not hear it?" he mumbled "Hello?"

"Reid? Where's Kat? Nevermind, I'm coming over. I just saw something all kinds of freaky." Qwerty said shocked.

She hung up before Reid could say anything.

"What's up?"

Reid looked over at Kat who was sitting up in bed. Her eyes were tired.

"I have no clue, but Qwerty's coming over."

Kat nodded. Reid closed her phone and set back on the desk. Kat could tell he was avoiding looking at her.

"Can we talk?" she asked.

He nodded still having trouble looking at her. A part of it was him feeling guilty. A few hours ago he'd been with some redhead and even worse he was pretending it was Kat. He wanted it to be her. He'd always wish it was her. He didn't want anybody else.

Reid walked over to her bed. It brought back memories. Good ones and bad ones.

"I'm sorry." She said.

He looked at her now.

"What?" his voice cracked.

"I'm sorry. It was wrong of me, what I did to you." She said quietly.

He could see tears form in her eyes.

_No, no, no don't cry. Please._

"You deserve so much better then what I did and you know what? I ruined what we could've had all on my own. It was my fault." Her voice quivered.

"Kat, don't. I don't deserve an apology and you know it."

"You're right." She said sniffling a little "You deserve better."

Kat caressed his cheek remembering the nights they had spent together. She missed them. She also struggled with them. Leaning in, she chastely kissed him on the lips.

"You deserve to move on." she said barely audible.

With that she got up and went into the bathroom and closed the door. Reid stared after her wanting to say so much to her, but no words escaped his lips.


	31. Spring Break

"Spring Break!" Tyler shouted through the house. Reid and Ryan whooped. Caleb and Kat glance at each other and went back to their cereal and coffee.

"What are you doing for Spring Break?" he then asked her. She opened her mouth to speak, but Tyler spoke for her.

"She's coming home with us." He smirked. "You and Ryan are crashing with me."

"I don't know about that. Maybe I should stick around here, maybe stay with Qwerty she did say she saw somebody who looked like me around campus." Kat said.

"No." Caleb said. Kat gulped. He was putting his foot down. "You are going to take a vacation from all of this."

"But-" Kat started.

"No Katherine." Caleb said slamming down his cup of coffee. Everyone looked from him to her then back barely breathing. He'd used her full name. Kat's jaw clenched tightly as she scowled at him unhappily. Without a word she left the kitchen. Nobody said anything. The front door slammed letting everyone know she was leaving the house.

Ryan looked at each of them then realizing that none of them were going to follow her he stood.

"Don't worry," he said sarcastically. "I'll go make sure she's okay since Caleb decided to act like an ass."

Ryan made it as far as the kitchen doorway then turned.

"She's died, her family's died and she still lives. She still tries with you guys and tries all of these things to make it right. She lifted that stupid ass curse!. He yelled. His features went soft after that. "All you can do is reprimand her and yell at her like she is so wrong. you guys need to realize that as long as she knows you as long as all three of us know you; me Kat and Qwerty, we're always going to be in danger. It doesn't mean shit to us."

Ryan left.

"So…Spring Break is going to be fun." Reid said after a few minutes of silence. Caleb took a few steps over to him and slapped him upside the head. "Ow!"

Tyler snickered. Caleb left for class a few minutes later and Tyler and Reid made their way to their classes.

"So, are you two okay?" Tyler asked out of the blue.

"Who?" Reid asked.

"You know who."

"Yeah, we're fine. She's moved on apparently. Good thing that I moved on first." Reid said laughing trying play it off that he was more okay than Kat. He paused when he saw Ryan and Kat sitting on a bench together though. Tyler looked over and saw what he saw and put a consoling hand on his best friends shoulder.

Kat laid her head on Ryan's shoulder and he just put an arm around her. Reid felt his gut tighten. For the first time he thought something he never thought possible.

_I want nobody else and she doesn't want me. I'm never going to be good enough no matter how hard I try am I? I waited thinking that's all I had to do, I was there for her, I- I can't do this._

"We're good. Friends and all that." Reid said in a low voice. Tyler watched him stalk off with his eyes on the ground. Reid had become a playboy and tortured soul in one. It was hard to watch. Tyler on the other hand had something else going on.

As he saw Reid walking off he saw Qwerty making her way across the quad.

"Qwerty!" he yelled. The brunette swung around, her wavy hair flying across her face. She smiled at him. The two had been on their own mission. They were looking for the Kat look-a-like. They just weren't telling many people about it. Tyler didn't mind it. He liked hanging around her. The two had even hung out together at The Back Alley. Tyler found out she was pretty good at darts even when drunk.

After she had started her rambling with having ran into Kat then noticing all the differences Tyler knew that even though Caleb was cracking down on everything she wouldn't give up.

_Kat was still upstairs in the bathroom and Tyler were still sleeping when Qwerty came over. Reid stopped at the bottom of the stairs as he saw Qwerty arguing with Caleb._

"_But what if it's Whitney!" She exclaimed. "Do you know what that means! Kat could have her sister back! She's been through so much with dying and being kidnapped then waking up not knowing why she's covered in blood."_

"_No. this is exactly why Ryan shouldn't have been brought back!" Caleb said giving Ryan an I'm sorry look. Ryan exhaled heavily. _

"_It happened though. We could find her and-"_

"_Enough." Caleb said darkly._

_Qwerty took a step back shaking her head then. There was a heavy silence in the room._

"_Caleb," Reid said calmly. "This is something we all need to deal with. She's right. If you're the leader then you need to come to terms with that otherwise you need to step back. This can't be ignored. We have power and sometimes shit happens because of our power. We fix it."_

_Caleb looked at him. His eyes softened. He looked at Qwerty then._

"_I don't want you three involved. I won't have you involved again, not after what happened with Ryan. If you get involved, any of you, I will find a way to wipe your mind of ever knowing us." Caleb said._

_Reid's fist clenched at that. He didn't like Caleb's threats especially this. most of the time they were directed at him, now they were directed at his friends._

"_You'd do that to our friends?" Reid asked harshly. _

"_If it protects them." Caleb answered before leaving the house._

_Qwerty looked at Reid._

"_I can't drop this."_

"_Do what you want." Reid said. "We Tyler and I can't protect you. We both may have ascended like Caleb, but he has his father's power too."_

_Qwerty nodded then brushed past up the stairs towards Kat's room. she paused when she saw a tired Tyler come out of his room shirtless. She had her hand on Kat's door and paused. _

"_Morning." He said._

"_I'm-going in here." she said quickly and ran into the door thinking she twisted the doorknob. She twisted it and shut the door behind her. She felt heat rise in her cheeks. _

_Kat came from the bathroom with tear streaks on her face._

"_I hate life." She blurted._

"_Me too." Qwerty said._

Caleb never told Kat that he'd wipe their memories. He just flat out said no to her as if he owned her. Tyler couldn't stand what a prick he was becoming thinking he could do whatever he wants. That was another reason h was doing this with Qwerty. He knew she wasn't giving up on it. IT was important and Qwerty was never the kind of person to give up.

The two of them went to their class and instead of paying attention to it they wrote notes back and forth on whatever information they gathered. They hadn't gathered much since the look-a-like had records. The only records that had kept coming up were Kat's.

Tyler couldn't stand the way Caleb talked down to her this morning. Each time he did so she would break more and more. Reid had stood up to him once during the week and ended up going through the front window and landing out on the lawn. It didn't help that Reid was a total jerk about it, but it was Reid.

"I don't know if we can find her. Maybe I was seeing things." Qwerty said when they were leaving class.

"No. Definitely not." Tyler said. "We're finding her."

Qwerty nodded as she looped her arm with his. Then she leaned her head on his shoulder.

"This is all becoming one big pain." She mumbled.

"I know how you feel."

* * *

><p>Kat was packing up her things when she went back to the house. She was staying with Tyler for the break. Caleb told her that she'd finally be meeting Sarah. She was excited about that. She had brushed of Caleb's asshole-ness from this morning away. There was no other choice. She just figured he was way too stressed out about 'using'. There were no boundaries now which made it more difficult. The guys had been doing well though or at least that's what she saw.<p>

She sighed as she zipped up her bag. All she had to do now was take it down to Tyler's hummer. Qwerty had been offered to come as well, but she said she had some things to on campus and denied the offer. So it was just Ryan, her, and Tyler for break. Tyler said he was psyched about having more than just three people in his huge house. There would be some use out of the guest bedrooms.

Kat heard a knock at her door. She walked over and turned down her stereo. Ryan peeked in.

"Hey." She smiled. He smiled back.

"You nervous?" he asked.

"About?"

"We're going to Ipswich. You know, where all of this witchy stuff originated." He said.

"If we can handle it on this campus then their home town will be easy." Kat said with a smirk of confidence.

"True." He said. He walked in and sat down on her couch. Kat looked at the couch remembering how Reid had put it in here with a single thought. It was a thoughtless moment.

"Are you packed?" she asked.

"Yep." He said popping the 'p'.

Kat turned back towards her bag and finished zipping it. When she turned back around to go to the bathroom and grab her toiletries Ryan was standing there. She slowly looked up at him feeling a sudden tension. Her heart was pounding hard against her chest like a wrecking ball. His eyes pierced right through her.

"I can touch you." He said gulping as he slowly reached up and caressed her cheek. it was soft. She leaned into his touch. It felt wrong, but at the same time it was right. It felt wrong because she felt as if she were betraying someone and right because of how her inside were fluttering.

"I don't mind." She whispered.

The two of them had experienced this tension before throughout the week. Kat had been finding excuses to dodge it. She didn't want it to be wrong that she had found someone else to like. Someone meaning Reid. Was it wrong? They were moving on. It was fast, but it was moving on.

Ryan leaned in and kissed her cheek then he moved to her jaw. Each kiss set that spot on fire. Her neck, her collarbone, he even slipped her sleeve from her shoulder and kissed there. Her hand had been poised at his chest and moved to the nape of his neck. He moved away after kissing her shoulder and she wondered why he had stopped. He looked at her; his eyes finding hers. Then leaning in again he kissed her. It was sweet and gentle and Kat didn't mind. He kissed her bottom lip then kissed both of them. Her lips parted naturally. She wanted to taste him. When she did she found that he was sweet.

Their kiss grew heated in seconds and Ryan pressed her back against one of the poles to the canopy bed. His hand rested on her hip.

* * *

><p>Reid walked into the house and headed straight upstairs. He'd actually gone to class today since he was heading to Florida tonight. Not everyone was going home for Spring Break. Pogue was meeting him down there. As he reached his room he heard soft voices coming from Kat's room. her door was cracked and Reid crept closer.<p>

Looking through the crack he saw she was with Ryan. They were lying back on her bed, he had his arms around her and she was okay with that. Reid had seen Ryan look at her when she wasn't noticing. He didn't like it, but Reid couldn't exactly do anything about it. He could be jealous, but that was it. Ryan was a good guy. Kat was…she was Kat. Reid loved the girl and even more, he wanted her to be happy. She looked happy with him.

Reid backed away from the door quietly and went to his room and started packing. For a whole two weeks he'd get to be in the sun. Surely when everyone came back from the much needed vacation things would be better. Reid knew he'd be better after seeing the beautiful sights in Florida and he wasn't just talking about tourist attractions.

* * *

><p>Tyler got back to see Reid already pulling out of the drive.<p>

"There he goes…" Qwerty mumbled. She looked at Tyler then gave him a weak smile. "Have a good break."

"You sure you don't want to come? There's plenty of room." he said hoping she'd take up the offer.

"No that's okay." She replied. "I should stick around here. I might run into her again."

She didn't give a name because he already knew who she meant.

"See you when you get back Simms." She said smirking as she walked off down the sidewalk.

Tyler went inside and as he closed the door he heard loud thumping coming down the stairs and saw Kat hauling a suitcase down the stairs with a duffel on her shoulder. The sight made Tyler chuckle. Kat just stuck out her tongue.

"So, did Caleb leave?" Kat asked.

"Yeah, he has to go get Sarah from Harvard." Tyler replied.

"Good. I can't wait to meet her." Kat said. Her eyes were beaming. The tow of them went out to the hummer to pack her stuff in the trunk with Tyler's things. She looked up at the house. Silently she was saying goodbye to it. Things would change when she returned and if they didn't like it then that was their problem. She couldn't stay there. There was just too much testosterone.

Ryan came out with a bag over his shoulder and Tyler put that in the back as well. Kat pulled out her iPod from her pocket and put in her earbuds as she crawled into the back seat. Tyler and Ryan hopped up front. The engine rumbled to life and Kat looked at the house reminiscing all of the good and bad things that had gone on in the house. She had walked up to this house with the intention of a fresh start outside of the jailhouse and got tangled up in all this magic stuff. It wasn't the kind of fresh start she thought she was getting, but none the less she got it. Who was she to complain about her friends. Her friends that she's had several ups and downs within the last two years.

Kat turned up the volume on her iPod as Thriving Ivory started playing.

* * *

><p>They got to the town of Ipswich around eight o'clock. A silver Porsche was already parked outside Tyler's house. The place was massive. Vines crawled along the two story brick building. Like the town, the house gave off an old feeling.<p>

The three of them went inside. Kat felt self conscious. She looked down at her converses.

"As usual my dad isn't home." Tyler said as if it weren't a big deal. Kat let out a sigh of relief. She wasn't sure if she was ready to meet his prestigious family. "Caleb and Sarah are in the den. Come on."

Kat wasn't sure why, but she felt suddenly quiet. She followed and as she did she felt Ryan take her hand. She squeezed it tightly.

As they walked into the den Kat saw Caleb holding an ivory blonde. The girl literally took Kat's breath away. She was gorgeous. Caleb was smiling at her too. he looked so happy and Kat hadn't seen that in a long while. Nobody had been completely happy.

"You guys staying here or are you going back to Miss Danvers?" Tyler asked.

"We thought we'd stay here. Less driving back and forth." Caleb said not taking his eyes from Sarah.

_He's so in love._

The thought came from Ryan, Kat and Tyler simultaneously. Sarah peeled herself away from Caleb and made her way towards them. She gave Tyler a hug and he kissed her cheek. Sarah looked at Kat with bright eyes then hugged her. It caught Kat off guard. The young woman had no idea who she was. Kat was a criminal and technically a dead person. Sarah was hugging a dead con and it sent Kat's mind reeling. Kat hugged her back and closed her eyes trying not to cry as a wave of emotion flew over her.

"I've heard amazing things about you." Sarah said in her ear. Sarah let and smiled. "I can't wait to know you more."

Kat laughed nervously. Sarah looked at Ryan. She looked him up and down then poked him. Kat snorted figuring that she knew this was the ghost.

"Nice." She said.

The greeting was over after a few more minutes and they had all decided to go upstairs and unpack. Kat didn't even unpack. She just looked out the window.

"You settling in?" Tyler asked making her jump. She held her chest as she regained herself. He chuckled.

"Uh yeah." She answered. He looked at her unpacked bags and nodded. "I'll get to it."

"I didn't say anything." He said.

"I know that look." She said. He scoffed and sat down on her bed.

"So, we're going to the lake tomorrow." He told her.

"Okay." She said.

"Not arguing?"

"Why should I? It's 'vacation'." She said with air quotes.

"Yup." Tyler said

"We're going to watch a few movies downstairs, you game?" he asked.

"What kind?"

"Comedy."

Kat's face twisted and she shook her head.

"I'm a horror girl, you know that."

"Alright, see you tomorrow."

Kat nodded and looked out the window some more. After he left she made her way to unpack some. She wondered how the others were doing. It's not like they were all together. Picking up her cell phone she dialed up number four on her speed dial. It rang a few times before the other line answered.

"Hey Pogue." She said.

'What's up?' he said. She could tell he was smiling. That made her smile. Pogue was good to talk to when she needed to vent and just let everything come tumble from her mouth.

* * *

><p>They talked for a few hours. Afterwards Kat put her phone on its charger. She then got changed for bed. As she turned out the lights the bedroom door opened slowly. Ryan snuck in and Kat stood there looking at him with a smug look on her face as her arms crossed over her chest.<p>

"Are you really sneaking into my room hoping you get to spend the night?" she said astounded.

Ryan closed the door leaving the room in utter darkness. Kat's body stiffened. She couldn't see anything and in the dark things tended to happen both good and bad. It didn't matter which because it made her nervous.

A set of hands moved up her arms past her scar even and on her shoulders which then moved down her back. She shuddered and moved back into the touch wanting more. Her body craved and Kat wasn't denying that she wanted it as well. His hands moved around her waist as she felt his lips on her collarbone. She gasped a little and turned her head enough to capture his lips.

He had provoked this in her. He knew he did. Kat moaned a little as his hands moved up underneath her tank top at the small of her back where he rubbed small circles into her skin. Ryan wasn't moving fast. He had no intention of moving fast unless that was what she wanted.

Kat twisted in his arms and her hands pressed against his firm chest. She couldn't see him, but she could feel him. She bit her bottom lip as her hands wandered over him exploring the ridges of his toned muscle. She could feel his breath on her. She felt his hand at her jaw now and tilted her head up. He kissed her chin and moved up to her lips. Her breath grew heavy as they continued, their tongues intertwining intimately. He held her close not letting go. His touch set her skin on fire sending sensations everywhere.

Kat started pushing him backwards knowing exactly where they'd land. Ryan sat back on the bed and Kat straddled herself on his lap instantly meeting his lips. Their breaths mingled and his hands crawled further up her top. It sent tingling sensations down her spine. Kat let him remove it. Even though they couldn't see each other she still felt her heart skyrocket as she sat there almost completely bare. She'd known him for two years, seen him for nearly one and had been able to touch him for a week.

Ryan moved fast as he pulled her onto the bed. She laid on her back as he hovered over top of her. She clutched her legs to his hips feeling highly aroused. She could feel his chest rumble as he groaned huskily in her mouth. Her hips rose and she couldn't stop herself from grinding into him. She could feel he was just as aroused.

"Kat…" he breathed. Kat felt her stomach tightened as he said her name. She liked how sounded.

The night lingered and they continued on their path. The remainder of their clothes ending up on the floor and Ryan took pleasure in having her, tasting her, and just being with her.

It wasn't as if Kat had felt this way with anyone. She had let her guard down and let him in a long time ago. She didn't even do that with Reid and those two had become extra close.

* * *

><p>Ryan awoke in the morning beside her. He smiled contently and rolled over to face Kat. She laid half on her side half on her stomach with her now dark hair splayed out behind her. The dye from the beginning of the year had long washed out. Slowly, he ran a hand through the beautiful locks, his fingertips then trailing down her back. She let out a sigh.<p>

"You know, it's creepy when you watch people sleep." She grumbled. Ryan leaned in and kissed her chastely. She moaned and smiled into the kiss. Turning over, she laid on his chest. "I like your hair messy."

"No, my hair is not messy. This is just my sex hair." He said running a hand through it.

"Oh really?" she remarked with an eyebrow raised. He shrugged as a grin spread across his face. A comfortable silence fell between them and Kat had closed her eyes as she had her arms around him as he did her. She was ready to fall back asleep.

"Can I have you?" he whispered causing Kat's eyes to shoot open.

"I thought you already did." She replied. She felt his heart pick up under her and she smiled.

* * *

><p>Tyler didn't go to wake Kat in the morning. He figured that when she wanted to get up she would. Plus he'd seen Ryan go into her room.<p>

When they'd both gotten downstairs Caleb offered breakfast. He was making omelettes. Kat's mouth watered at the mention of bacon. She devoured two bacon omlettes. Sarah had watched with her mouth in the shape of an 'O' wondering where she put it all.

"That was so good." Kat said finishing off the second omlette then sliding the plate away. She laid her head on her arms on the table waiting for the others to finish.

"Go figure the vacuum gets done first." Tyler said smirking. Kat hit him in the arm. 'Ow' he mouthed. Kat just shrugged challenging him to say something else. Ryan did his best to hold back laughter and so did Sarah.

"I'm going to go get ready for the lake." Kat then said getting up from the table. Ryan watched as she left. Tyler looked at all of them knowing he was the fifth wheel. He was okay with it though. His phone buzzed in his pocket and he looked at it to see that it was a text from Qwerty. She told him good morning and what a good morning it was.

* * *

><p>"Caleb, you cheated! You can't use!" Kat screeched as she was pulling wet hair from her face. Caleb was too busy laughing his ass off to argue back.<p>

"It's alright Kat." Tyler said as he came up beside her. "We're going to kick his ass."

Tyler looked at Ryan for the approval of his place being taken and Ryan let him gladly. The game of chicken was getting intense.

"Let's go Baby Boy." Caleb said with a wide grin. Tyler lifted Kat onto his shoulders and did Caleb with Sarah. Kat took a deep breath. Both of the boys' eyes went black and the two teams collided. Sarah flew backwards and Caleb followed after a few pushes.

Both Tyler and Kat went in hysterics with how they both landed in the water. They gave each other high fives.

"Okay, you were lucky." Caleb growled.

"Oh don't be a sore loser." Tyler kidded.

"Best two out of three." Caleb said.

"Bring it on."

'Using' made the game more effective. The boys could channel they're 'using' when they held the girls' hands. So when one would normally take a nose dive into the water during a game of chicken they would fly backwards about five to ten feet then hit the water. The 'using' wasn't heavy, but it did make the game more fun.

* * *

><p>The rest of Spring Break was good. It let Ryan get closer to Kat. He never stopped snaking into her room. Most nights he just slept beside her and other nights he did more than hold her.<p>

Meanwhile down in Miami, Florida Reid and Pogue were out at a party. It didn't matter if they knew any of the people there. Pogue and Reid were too busy enjoying kicking some major ass at the pool tables.

"Well, look who's up to their usual tricks." Came a snide comment. Both men looked up and saw Aaron Abbot making his way to the table. He picked up the cue ball from the table and tossed it up in the air. Reid looked over at Pogue who had a tight grip on his pool stick.

"So are you going to play a round or just stalk us?" Reid said. "Cause I gotta tell you man, I'm not like that."

Aaron's face went cold and he slammed the ball down on the table. Reid smirked. It was still way too easy to piss him off.

"Rack'em up." Aaron growled.

Pogue did so.

"So, what is a jack ass like you doing here? I hear that Miami University is for those who are actually smart." Reid said.

Aaron's anger rose. Reid knew that if he kept it up a fight would soon ensue and the game wouldn't even get started. Aaron even had new cronies behind ready to pummel the two of them.

"We'll be gracious and let you take the first shot." Pogue said.

Aaron sneered then leaned in fror the shot. Reid looked at Pogue who was smirking. Reid couldn't help himself. His eyes flashed and Aaron missed the shot.

"Geez Abbot. How hard is it to hit the cue ball?" Pogue exclaimed trying not to grin. The game was gaining watchers. Aaron huffed and shot again. The strike sent the balls all over the table.

Reid got ready for the next shot and as he got ready to shoot he saw Aaron lay down at least three twenties.

"Do you really want to throw away your trust fund?" Reid asked. He heard a few girls giggle. "I don't recommend since I already know we'll kick your ass."

"We'll see about that." Aaron snapped.

Three games later a large crowd was surrounding the table taking in Aaron's failure while Pogue was counting out nearly three hundred dollars and splitting it with his partner.

"You guys don't quit." Aaron snarled.

"You're the one losing." Reid said not hiding his mischievous grin. Reid took the money that Pogue handed him. He felt pretty prideful. "We'll be nice tonight since we haven't seen you in a while Abbot. We're going stop before you completely humiliate yourself. Oh wait! You already have."

That set Aaron off. He lunged at Reid and Reid ducked then tacked him against the pool table. Pogue pulled Reid back who got a good hit in across Aaron's jaw. People split like the Red Sea as they ran off. Hitting Aaron reminded him of high school. Pogue was laughing. The two of them stopped at the end of the block.

"Go figure you two would go at it." he said. Reid shrugged.

"I just couldn't help myself." Reid said.

"Shall we spend our winnings reasonably?" Pogue pondered.

"Nah." Reid said after a few minutes.

The two of them laughed. They couldn't remember the last time they had this kind of fun. It was actually turning out to be a good vacation. The two of them headed into the bar further down the street.

* * *

><p>Qwerty had headed out to The Back Alley a lot during the break. A lot of people went there and she was able to coax money out of plenty of guys with her talent at the dart board. The guys didn't mind losing with the view they got.<p>

As she was getting ready to throw a dart she stopped. A girl walked in. Her hair was dark and she was wearing dark blue skinny jeans with a blue and green stripped tank with a dark jacket overtop.

"You boys win this round." She said throwing the dart without looking. The groans of disappointment sounded behind her as she trailed off after the girl. Qwerty stayed behind her enough not to be seen =, but she could that this was her. The Kat look-a-like.

The girl sat down at the bar. Qwerty came up behind happily pulling out the set of handcuffs she'd bought a few days ago. She was glad that they'd come in handy. The girl wasn't getting away. Quickly she snapped one cuff around the girl's wrist and then the other around her own. A smirk crossed her face as shock crossed the girl's.

"We should have a talk, Whitney." Qwerty said taking a seat beside her. Whitney looked down at her cuffed hand then back at Qwerty.

"You know who I am?"

"I know your sister." She said.

* * *

><p>"The end of break came too fast." Kat said as she laid on Ryan's chest. She traced invisible symbols on his skin. She enjoyed her alone time with him. It made her feel like she was floating and that she wasn't in the real world anymore.<p>

"So what are we going to do when we get back?" he asked.

"You need to enroll into classes. I'm sure one of the guys will help out with that." She said.

"And you?"

Kat was quiet. Ryan looked down at her.

"They don't know do they?" he asked. Kat shook her head.

"I'm telling them when we get back."

"That should be fun."

"It's my decision and all." She said. Ryan squeezed her upper arm lightly letting her know that he was on her side. She smiled andtilted her head to kiss him.

In the room down the hall Caleb and Sarah were talking.

"These past two weeks have been going well for you two. Don't screw it up when you all go back." She told him.

"It's not just me, you know."

"Caleb, you think you can protect them to no end and protecting them is good, but you can't stop them from being in both parts of your life. They are willingly being a part of it." she said.

"And they're going to get hurt. Kat's already been hurt. Who's next? Qwerty? She's pretty close to being next with her wanting to look into the girl that looks like Kat. The girl could be a trap or something." Caleb said frustrated.

"You'll never know if you don't find out and that's what Qwerty is doing…Who names their kid Qwerty?" Sarah said. "Anyway, don't shut them out. It's not right."

"I-I can't handling someone dying again." he said.

"They're stronger than they look. They can handle what you and the others are and so far they're handling so much more than that." She said. "The stories I've heard are crazy. I still can't believe that Tyler and Kat switched bodies.

"They what!" Caleb exclaimed.

"You didn't know?"

"Of course I didn't know."

"Well…" Sarah said trailing off. "Now you do."

Caleb pinched the bridge of his nose as he let out a heavy sigh containing all of his confusion.

"Let it all go okay? I know it's hard and you've already tried, but try again." she told him as she nuzzled into his chest. Caleb nodded. Sarah wasn't only a good listener, but she gave him advice when he needed it. It wasn't harsh, but it was an order. Looking down at her he smiled then kissed her.

* * *

><p>Kat counted down the minutes till they got back to campus. Kat had talked to Qwerty already so she had the heads up to be at the house when they all got back. Ryan already knew what was going on. He sat in the back with and had taken one of her earbuds to listen to her music. She leaned on him feeling a little scared.<p>

Tyler was a little scared himself but for a different reason altogether. He'd gotten a call around four this morning from Qwerty saying that she had her. That it was Whitney. He had his fingers tapping on the steering wheel. A lot of shit was about to go down as soon as they got home.

* * *

><p>Pulling in the drive, Tyler saw Reid had already returned. As a matter of fact he was coming out the front door to greet them.<p>

"Hey Baby Boy." He grinned from ear to ear. "You should've come with, Pogue and I did some serious ass kicking on Abbot."

"Like old times." Tyler chuckled.

Ryan hadn't taken Kat's hand or anything like that knowing that Kat wanted to talk to Reid about her being with him. She did want to speak with him, but before Kat realized it Reid had grabbed her in a tight embrace.

"I hope you had a good break." He said honestly.

"I did." She said in a light smiling.

"Good."

Reid looked at Ryan and nodded.

_Was that it? Was that the understanding? Is everything okay? _

Kat looked at the two of them. Reid offered to help Ryan get everything inside. Kat looked at Tyler. The two men passed them.

"He can be mature, you know." Tyler said then went to help unload.

Kat went inside so as not to be in the way. After getting everything up to everyone's designated rooms with the exception of Ryan who'd been on the couch ever since he had been brought to life they all sat back on the couch waiting for Caleb. Ryan had an arm around Kat and her fingers linked through his.

When Caleb got in Qwerty was already there. Reid and Tyler got the gist that something big was about to happen. Kat told Caleb to take a seat.

"I wanted all of you to be here." Kat mumbled.

"Everything okay?" Caleb asked worriedly. Reid sensed a change in the golden boy. He seemed like his old self.

"Yes, I'm fine. I just have news." She said. "I'm leaving."

The words came out fast and the three men that she lived with just stared at her blankly. There was no emotion written on their face.

"Say something." She said.

"Why?" Tyler asked.

"I've already withdrawn from school. Qwerty said I could live with her and it just seems right. Ryan can have my old room and things will be okay."

"Is this my fault?" Caleb asked.

"No, it isn't anybody's fault. I just need this for myself. A lot has been going on and I just feel it is best." She replied.

"You don't have to go." Reid said. It was somewhat of a plea. Kat couldn't look at any of them.

"I do." She said. "I'm leaving tonight actually. I just thought you ought to know."

"So that's it?" he said.

"It's not like I'm never coming back. It'll probably be like I still live here." she half chuckled.

"It won't be the same."

"Yeah, well, change is good for everyone." She said. Qwerty stood and made her way to Kat's side.

"There's something I need to talk to you about." She whispered in her ear.

"Can it wait? There's a bit of a problem right now." Kat said back.

"I don't think so." Qwerty said as there was a knock at the door.

"Who freaking knocks!" Kat exclaimed as she rushed to the door with Qwerty behind her calling her name repeatedly. Kat flung open the door really not wanting to deal with anymore drama than what she'd already brought on.

Kat froze and she went completely pale. Her hand gripped the door tightly. She saw her reflection stand before her.

"Katherine." Whitney said no louder than a whisper.

Kat collapsed to the floor unable to steady her breathing.

"Kat!" everyone screamed as she hit the ground with a loud thud. Whitney fell to her side and cradled her body.

"It's okay, I'm here." whispered her sister.

**Review! That's what you should do!**


	32. Weeks Passed

**I know, It's been months since I've updated and I apologize. That's my fault. My computer killed itself. But I have this chapter for you so here! Enjoy.**

**And thank you for the reviews.**

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><p>Weeks passed and both Kat and Whitney moved in with Qwerty. The guys had barely seen any of them. They'd caught a glimpse of Whitney then she was whisked away. Kat had gotten a job at the local mechanic's shop, Bernie's. Kat scoffed when she got the job. The owner's name wasn't even Bernie. She missed the guys' though. They were right. It wasn't the same. She expected Reid to knock on her door complaining or Caleb's cooking. Not even Ryan had seen her.<p>

"Hey chickadee!" Whitney said in a sing song voice as she waltzed into Kat's room. "What are you doing?"

"Relaxing." She sighed happy to be off her feet. She'd gotten off of work under and hour ago. "Work was hectic."

Hectic didn't cover it. Some of the mechanic's that she worked with thought they could touch her whenever they felt like it. The memory that got her a raise today came back to her making a triumphant smile creep across her face.

"_Nice." Bill grumbled as he reached out and grabbed Kat's ass for the second time that day. Kat turned quickly on him and grabbed his hand. She twisted it and held it behind him. He hissed. _

"_You going to touch me again?" Kat said in his ear as she twisted his arm a little more._

"_No!" he winced in pain._

"_Good." Kat let go and walked back to the beautiful black impala she'd been working on._

"Nope. You're getting ready. You have a date tonight." Whitney said with a bright smile.

"What?"Kat said deeply confused.

"We three lonely girls are going out to hang out with friends."

"Uh….are you sure about this? We don't have to." Kat said. She didn't want to rush her sister into this. They may be the same age, technically though Whitney was six feet under for a while, but Kat wasn't about to see her get hurt again. She wanted to keep her alive. She's already died once because of the guys. She didn't want Whitney to follow.

"We're going." Whitney finalized in a serious tone. "So, get ready."

Kat groaned unpleasantly as she rolled herself of her bed.

"Wow, kitty kat, I've never seen you so displeased." The sadistic voice wasn't had to place.

"Get out Reid." Kat ordered. She turned to see him standing in a corner in his usual attire.

"Geez, I come and visit and all you can say is get out?" he mocked a hurt look as he pushed from the corner and made his way to her bed. He laid back and stared up at the ceiling. "How's it going with the twin?"

"She seems fine." Kat said.

"Don't worry so much about her. She needs to work her way into the way of life. You can't shelter her."

"The hell I can. I'm keeping her away from you guys!" Kat blurted. Instantly, she regretted say it. "I didn't mean it the way it sounded."

Reid raised his hands in surrender.

"I get it. You don't want her being like you. She will though." He said as he stood. "She's that other half and might I add that she's nicer."

"Hey!" Kat hit Reid in the arm.

"See!" he gestured at his arm. "You're abusive."

"Like you ever complain about that." Kat rolledher eyes. "Now, get out. I supposedly have a date tonight."

"Ohhhhh." Reid waggled his eyebrows at her.

"Get out!" Kat grabbed a pencil from nearby and chucked it at him. He vanished in thin air before it could hit him. It stuck in the wall.

"Son of a bitch." She grumbled. Maybe it was her who was nervous to be going out. it didn't matter now. she had two hours to get ready since that's how long it would take for Qwerty to be ready to impress Tyler. the two had been studying together quiet a bit lately as it was. KAt knew it wouldn't be long for them. they just kept fidgeting around it.

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><p>The three girls walked into The Back Alley. As usual, you could feel the music pumping through you and the place was packed with students kicking back from a long week. Kat looked around nervously. She didn't feel like a part of this crowd anymore.<p>

"Yo Kat!" her head jerked in the direction of the pool tables where she saw Tyler waving her over. Smiling, she started heading that way. Qwerty and Whitney had gone off in another direction. She wanted to chase after them, but what Reid had said earlier came back to her. She had to let them have a life and she needed to get back to hers.

"You're not going anywhere." A set of arms wound around Kat. Turning her head a little, Kat's dark eyes met Ryan's. Her heartbeat sped up instantly.

"Okay." She said feeling dazed by him. He pulled her towards the dance floor. The two of them melded together to that of the music that surrounded them. Kat missed this. The feeling of letting go as if nothing bad could happen. In that moment she was free.

It wouldn't last forever and she knew that. She never figured out what happened after her kidnapping and why she was covered in blood. She was dating a previously dead guy and was staying with her best friend who harbored her twin sister who was also previously dead. It was all fucked up. All of it. She could have this moment though.

"I'm not going to ask why you haven't been around." Ryan said in her ear. Feeling his hot breath on her ear made her grin while shivers crawled down her spine. It was splendid.

He wasn't going to ask, not after everything. She earned the time to herelf to get organized. She'd gotten her sister back, moved out, dropped out of school. She was here now and Ryan couldn't have been happier. she'd had his back even when he was dead. it was thanks to her that he was alive even. he'd wait for her forever if that's what it took. He loved her.

"Good." She said as she turned in his arms and wrapped her arms around his neck letting her fingers weave through his dark hair. Not wanting to wait much longer he leaned down and kissed her. Her rushed breath met his and Kat's head went spinning. If this was his hello Kat couldn't wait for his goodnight.

"Want to get out of here?" he asked her the moment he pulled back for air.

"I just got here." She said playing with him. Ryan looked at her, his eyes turning to slits cause of her teasing. Then he took her hand and led the way towards the exit.

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><p>Whitney saw them leaving and smirked. Kat actually smiling like she meant it caught Whitney's eye especially. She'd never spoken to Ryan personally. She hadn't spoken to any of Kat's ex-housemates before. She was rushed out by Qwerty with Kat in their arms. From then on Kat had been busy with a job and avoiding telling her anything. Qwerty always told her to talk to her sister and then would take flight off to class or somewhere that wasn't around her. They were all hiding something. She wanted to know what. She had a feeling it had to do with her amazing resurrection.<p>

"She just gets here and is leaving. That sounds like Katherine." She laughed.

"She's happy." Whitney looked over and was graced with a smile from a set of baby blue eyes. Whitney opened her mouth to say something she was sure was witty, but had completely forgotten. "I'm Tyler."

"Whitney." She greeted back.

"I figured. You two…look so alike. It's unreal." He commented.

"Yeah, WE used to get mixed up a lot in high school. Though, people were reminded quickly when Kat would get into fights."

"She got into fights?" Tyler asked.

"Yeah…" Whitney said not wanting to think about it. "Bad stuff…it's over with now."

Tyler nodded catching the hint not to pressure her.

"You up for a game of pool?" he offered.

"I can guarantee you that you'll win. I haven't played much while I was dead." She joked.

"Right." Tyler said feeling a little awkward.

"C'mon." Whitney said and pulled him along. Along the way Whitney saw Qwerty with a 'oh help me god' look on her face while a large muscular guy tried flirting with her. "I'll meet you there."

She parted ways with Tyler and made her way over towards Qwerty.

"Hey hun!" Whitney exclaimed. "I've been looking for you everywhere."

"Kat…" the guy said. He stood up straight and backed away a few steps. Whitney caught on quick to his uncomfortableness.

"Yeah," Whitney answered going with it. "Back away or I'll kick your ass."

"Yeah, sure man I mean girl!" the guy stuttered. Whitney cocked and eyebrow at him as he scurried off. Qwerty started laughing and was holding Whitney's shoulder to keep herself up.

"Oh that was great! Thanks." Qwerty said after calming down a little.

"It was. I didn't know Kat had people bowing down at her feet."

"She can be intimidating. It helps she that she knows the Ipswich gang though. Rumors spread around campus about those two more than news of frat parties." Qwerty said. Whitney nodded.

"Come play some pool with me and Tyler." Whitney said.

"Sure." Qwerty said quickly. She tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear.

"See? You suck." Reid said as he knocked the eight ball into the corner pocket. Whitney and Qwerty came up on Tyler's side.

"Hey girls." Reid chirped with a smug grin. Whitney nodded his way in acknowledgement. Behind her Qwerty had glanced at Tyler who smiled her way. She looked away quickly to hide the blush rising on her cheek.

"Blondie, why don't you and I get drinks." Whitney said. Reid caught on to the demand and agreed.

For Reid it was awkward being alongside Whitney with how similar she was to her sister. He couldn't even get himself to look at her. He even stopped himself from calling her Kat.

"So, you and my sister?" Whitney said while they sat at the bar. Her finger traced the rim of the glass she drank from.

"No." he said.

"No?" Whitney said feeling shocked. "No."

The word wasn't sinking in.

"No, that's not a good answer." She finally said.

"I don't care. That's the answer you get. We're only friends…she and I." it hit him as if he were knocked backwards. Like he did most days now, he just grinned and bared it.

"That's crap. I'm not dumb. There's something going on in that head of yours. I know you saw her leave with Ryan."

"She's happy!" he exclaimed. "She deserves it. Let it go Whitney."

"No." she said it firmly. Reid scoffed. "You care about her more than any of the others…that I've met so far and this is the first time we've spoke. Don't let her go too easily. Ryan's a great guy and all but…there's something missing I think."

Reid didn't move from his seat. He took another drink from the beer he'd ordered. Whitney slid from her stool and walked off. She thought about going back to the pool tables, but she saw Tyler giving Qwerty tips on playing pool. Up close and personal tips. Where was this supposed Caleb? She was told what he looked like, but didn't see him. Whitney shrugged it off and headed for the exit. She didn't get the chance to be swept off her feet, but tonight was only night one of going out and having fun she figured.

Getting outside, Whitney took in a deep breath and let it out heavily. The air was cool compared to the club. She looked up at the night sky. There were a few clouds that of which surrounded the moon, but that was it. Stars littered the dark sky otherwise. Whitney couldn't remember seeing such a gorgeous sight.

"Beautiful isn't it?" Whitney jumped at the voice. "Sorry to scare you."

"My fault, I didn't see anyone out here." She said as her heart still beating hard in her ribcage. The form belong to the smooth voice stepped closer, a grin spread across his face. Whitney smiled back instantly captured by him. His short, dark brunette hair and, well, Whitney had to be honest. Being tall was a big plus for her and he was at least a foot taller than her. He flicked the cigarette he had to the ground and held out his hand to her.

"I'm Chase." He greeted.

"Whitney." She said taking his hand.

"You hungry Whitney?" he asked.

"Starving." She smiled even wider.

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><p>Kat felt behind for the doorknob. Hitting it first, she turned it and both she and Ryan nearly fell through the doorway. They both laughed from the clumsiness of their movement as they moved upstairs.<p>

"It's been a while since I've been back here." Kat said between kisses. They were at the base of the stairs of the house that Kat had moved out of not long ago. She smiled against his lips and parted from them. She felt drunk on him and wanted more. The lustful, glazed look in Ryan's green eyes told her that he was feeling the same.

He rushed at her and grabbed her around the waist making her squeal with laughter. Things that normally flooded her mind with worry were vanishing. Ryan kissed her again and she once again felt the fire she'd felt the first time they kissed. Her eyes closed and she only opened them again when she was backed up against something solid that almost knocked her backwards. A bed. The two of them were in her old room which was now his room.

Nothing had really changed except that Kat's stuff was replaced by Ryan's. A part of her felt sad about it, being replaced. It faded quickly as she remembered that she still could come over whenever she wanted as if having never left.

"You know you're staying with me tonight right?" he told her. Kat cocked and eyebrow at him and completely pulled away. Ryan watched her whole mood shift and her sit back on the bed.

"Is that so?" she said mockingly with a smile spreading on her. "Just trying to tell me what to do?"

Ryan smirked and leaned over her with both of his arms caging her in.

"You bet your ass." He said with solidarity.

"You're not going to tie me on a leash next are you? I like a little domincance, but you'll be screwed if you do that." She said in a low seductive voice, her lips inches from his.

"I wouldn't use a leash." He said "Maybe handcuffs though."

Kat raised her eyebrows at him intrigued. With a slow nod, Ryan continued where the two left off. It would be a long night before the two would sleep. They were okay with that.

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><p>Ryan and Kat spent their first night together in a long while inside. She'd missed him too much, but distantly, very distantly, she thought of someone else.<p>

Whitney spent her night out with a new friend in the local twenty-four hour diner.

Qwerty and Tyler grew closer as they played pool.

Reid found his own release. The girl on the dance floor was certainly doing her job if acting like a seductress was it. He didn't mind as she pulled him closer to her. Maybe she was the one.

….nah, she wasn't the one. She was a good time though.

Caleb…where was Caleb? Did anyone see him?

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><p><strong>And…chapter cut. Good reboot? I hope so. The next chapter will be out soon :) feel free to let me know you're thoughts by reviewing.<strong>


	33. The Return

Caleb sat at one of the tables in the back of library as he researched on his laptop and in the books. He'd volunteered silently to see if there was anything on resurrections and the ripple effect. He didn't find much, but he did find a few things.

_Resurrection uses up really black magic. If the person(s) doing the resurrection have to be very specific or else they could do more than resurrect the person they seek. _

Caleb thought about Whitney instantly. She wasn't supposed to be here. What else could be alive?

Caleb shoved the book aside and grabbed the next book of about four he'd found. It was no histories of resurrections. They'd been going on for centuries. Lovers who give up their love and families who couldn't let go. They all just tried to reach the other side and nearly all of them had bad outcomes.

All in all? Bad. They just hadn't seen the downside to Ryan and Whitney being alive yet. Caleb sighed exhausted. He'd been there for the last three hours. He shut his laptop and pushed the book aside and laid his head down. Thoughts raced through his restless mind. His eyes drooped closed even though he fought to stay awake.

_I can close my eyes for a few seconds._

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><p>"Good morning." Ryan rumbled.<p>

"Mmmm." Kat replied as she snuggled closer to him. Ryan pulled her reddish brown hair from her face. "Do we have to get up right now?"

"No, not unless you want everyone else to eat all of breakfast." He said. Kat contemplated it.

_Delicious, most important meal of the day or hot guy? _

"I'm okay with where I'm at." She smiled. Ryan chuckled and kissed her. He moaned into the kiss which sent shivers down Kat's body.

"Me too." He said parting from her lips. He moved in to kiss her again, but a knock at the door halted his effort. "Yeah?"

Kat pursed her lips together trying not to laugh.

"Breakfast dude." Reid called.

"Okay, thanks." Ryan said shaking his head. He kissed Kat on her collarbone.

"There's some for you too Kat." Reid said. Ryan let his head fall on Kat's shoulder while she bursted out laughing. She should've known that they'd know she was there.

About ten minutes later Ryan went downstairs followed by Kat who was wearing what she wore last night. She put her hair up.

"Morning sleeping beauty." Qwerty said to Kat as Tyler weaved around her towards the stove. He glanced back at Qwerty with a smile. She must've caught it since she smiled back and her cheeks were turning red.

"Good morning." Kat smiled as she pulled a cup down from the cupboard and poured some coffee into it.

"Late night?" Qwerty asked. Her voice faltered a little as she tried not to giggle.

"Yes, as a matter of fact." Kat answered with a smirk towards Ryan who also grinned. He cocked his head to the side and nodded. Looking around the kitchen, Kat saw everyone there except Whitney and the house leader, Caleb.

"Qwerty did you hear from Whitney?" Kat asked. As if on cue everyone heard the front door open.

"Hello?" Whitney called out in the house.

"Kitchen!" Reid yelled. Whitney walked in still wearing what she was wearing last night as well. She was also smiling. "What are you so joyful about?"

"Because I met somebody last night." She said dreamily.

Reid and Kat shared a look then looked back at her.

"Has anyone seen Caleb?" Kat asked real quick. He was the only one missing. The house leader was not here for the big group brunch that was happening.

"He's been out a lot." Tyler said. "Maybe he fell asleep at the library."

Kat noticed the pouty look forming on Whitney's face as they bypassed her amazing night. She could tell that she wanted to say more about it.

"So who's the guy?" Kat asked her as took another sip from her cup. Whitney brightened up. Reid looked at Kat with raised eyebrows and she just shrugged.

"He's tall dark and handsome and called Chase."

The whole room went quiet except for the shattering sound of the cup in Kat's hand falling to the floor. Tyler and Reid looked at one another, eyes wide with some unnamable fear.

A sudden flashback hit Kat like a full speed train.

_She screamed at the top of her lungs, but it was futile. At the next stop she'd fight. She could feel the car moving and could hear what the kidnappers were saying even though she was blind folded.. _

"_How is she alive?"_

"_I don't know! The boss just said to bring her in. He wants tests done."_

_This can't be happening. There was no way she was being a test subject for power hungry lawyers, evil lawyers. She felt the car jolt and she started swing out at everything. She made contact with a few bodies then felt for the door and pulled the handle. Half way out she was yanked back in by her hair._

"_Bitch!" Kat cried out futilely. "You're not going anywhere."_

It came in glitches though as if it were a puzzle that needed put together.

'_Come on Kat.' She was in some cell that had no windows, no bed; it had nothing, but a corner for her to cower. She held her knees to her chest. Those lawyers responsible for her death had her and were holding her. Why didn't anyone find her yet? Couldn't they do that with their power? _

"_No!" she screamed. Tears fell down her cheeks. "I know about you! You're dead."_

"_A little." He said arrogantly. _

"_Stay away!"_

"_I'm only here to help and I know that sometime in the future you'll help me." He said to her with an ominous grin. He reached out to her and she screamed. "You'll need the power I have to get out alive."_

"Kat!" Ryan yelled holding her.

Kat looked around. Her cheeks were wet and her head pounded as if there was a jackhammer in it. She rubbed it.

"Kat." Ryan repeated. She looked at Tyler then Reid.

"I killed those people in the law firm. The ones who killed me." Kat said feeling out of breath as well. "But it wasn't me. I-I…"

"Who's this Chase guy?" Qwerty cut in confused. Everyone looked at her blankly.

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><p>Caleb walked through the front door. He'd fallen asleep in the library. He stopped dead seeing everyone sitting around the living room.<p>

"What's going on?" he asked. He had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"I'm so sorry." Whitney said. Kat took her sister's hand.

"It's not your fault." Kat told her.

"It's our fault." Tyler finished gesturing between him and Kat. "We didn't think."

Reid and Qwerty remained silent. It was hard to take in all at once. Whitney was remotely quiet as well and looking down at her lap. She didn't know the details of everything had happened while she was dead. Like Kat being in jail, dying and coming back, body switching. She never said a world. Whitney was angry about it, but she just wish she would've been told.

"What's going on?" Caleb asked again. His voice was unsteady.

"He's alive." Reid said in a quiet tone. He stared straight ahead.

"Who?" _Don't say it. Don't say it._

"Chase." He replied. Caleb's blood went cold at the name. That was the bad. That was the wrong in their resurrection process of Ryan. They had brought back more than they should have.

"There's more." Kat said not looking directly at him. He looked at Kat with soft eyes. She was near tear and by the look of it she'd already been crying.

She told him what she could remember of Florida before she met Pogue. How Chase had taken her over and used the power he had to remain on the 'living plane'. From there Caleb talked about the research he'd come across and Tyler kicked the coffee table making everyone jump.

"I kept thinking, hoping that Chase wouldn't come back from what I had done."

"And I had thought of Whitney if only for a moment. " Kat said understanding how what Caleb said about the resurrection made sense.

"Now we have three living breathing people."

"One of which is a psychopath." Reid added.

"Wow Reid. I didn't know you thought so low of me."


	34. Vengeance Call

**Thank you for the reviews and reads. I'm going to try and upload regularly now.**

**Things are about to get real dicey now. Hope you're ready.**

"It almost looks like the whole gang is here!" Chase said enthusiastically as he looked at everyone with a wide grin. Caleb, Reid, and Tyler's eyes flashed black in seconds as they took defensive stances in front of their friends. "Well, almost the whole gang. I wonder how Sarah and Pogue are doing?"

"Chase." Caleb gritted through his teeth. He was ready to rip him to shreds. "I don't care how you're standing in front of us now. Leave and don't come back."

Reid looked back at the twins. Whitney was clutching Kat from dear life who had a death glare held on Chase. HE wasn't going to jeopardize their life while Caleb wanted to try to peace talk a psychopath.

"Go." He told them quietly. "Don't stop."

Kat nodded and took Qwerty's hand and led them to the door only to be flung to the wall. The three of them remained there as if held by some invisible force that had no intention of letting them go.

"Don't!" Ryan yelled. Terror was evident in his eyes.

"You lovely ladies aren't going anywhere." Chase said turning his attention on them. He smiled specifically at Kat and made his way over to her. "Kat. My favorite girl. You are the one who pulled this all off for me. And all you did was move in here. From there it was easy. I just followed you and even had to help you from dying the second time just so you could bring me to life, though I also owe thanks to Tyler as well. You even lifted that dumbass, life sucking curse."

"Blow me." Kat spat at him.

"You're sister tastes sweet, but you? You're priceless." Chase said ignoring her comment. His breath was hot on her face. He grabbed her by the throat tightly.

The moment he touched her Reid attacked him from behind.

"Reid!" Caleb shouted knowing that he just made a huge mistake. Chase turned around quickly with Kat still in his hand flung Reid backwards with another hand.

Reid flew through the wall and hit the grass outside. He was out cold. Ryan ran after him through the now gaping hole in the side of house to help him. Tyler looked to Caleb for guidance. Caleb nodded giving the signal for a joint attack. Tyler stayed in place and smirked. Chase cocked his head confused.

"Oh my god!" Qwerty screamed as she was still motionless against the wall. She was looking at the fire started at Chase's feet and climbed up his body that was summoned by Tyler.

Chase looked down alarmed, but the expression changed into cynical laughter and the climbing fire extinguished itself.

"Parlor tricks?" he said. "I would've expected better Tyler since you've ascended and all."

Tyler looked at Kat with guilt. She knew he wouldn't risk hurting her. Neither of them would. It was the reason Caleb wouldn't attack. Kat was in the way.

"Ohohoh." He said with an intrigued look as he pulled Kat in front of him like a shield. "She's special isn't she? Tell me Kat, how does it feel to be so loved?"

Kat didn't say anything mostly because he was crushing her windpipe. Ryan who had come back inside from checking on Reid used the distraction to get to Qwerty and Whitney. He tried pulling them down, but it was futile

"Let her go!" Whitney yelled catching Chase's attention. Caleb didn't wait any longer because ifhe did they would die, he knew they would. Time for negotiations was over. He looked at Kat who couldn't look back at him. He was failing. These people had become his family and he was backing down because he was too afraid to protect them at the risk of them getting hurt. Reid was already out of the fight because he wasn't afraid and Tyler was trying his hardest, but Chase was barely putting up a fight.

Tyler 'used' and several knives from the kitchen flew at chase only to be deflected.

"Caleb!" Qwerty yelled. His eyes darted to her then to Ryan who fell beside her. He was hit in the side from the deflection of one of the knives.

"No!" Kat choked out as she watched Ryan fall. She squirmed helplessly in Chase's grip.

Ryan winced as he pulled the blade from the side of his ribcage. He spit red off to the side and threw the blade at Chase. Chase cackled evilly catching the knife. He held it to Kat's throat and let her go. The blade remained at her neck when he released it and pressed on her making her bleed on slightly to make a point that she shouldn't move.

"Don't go anywhere." He ordered. He looked at Tyler who felt out of breath from his constant attack.

Chase looked at Tyler.

"Now that my hands are free. Give me your best shot." Chase taunted. Tyler went at him first with everything he had which mostly consisted of fire as his choice of weapon. Chase deflected him easily and sent him flying upward hitting the ceiling with an 'oomph'. Tyler fell from the height with a loud crash on the coffee table. He crawled to his feet slowly, bleeding heavily. Chase sent him up again then down. Tyler didn't give in.

"Stop!" Qwerty cried out helplessly.

Caleb sent his own attacks telepathically and knocked Chase back from the surprise.

"I see you've been practicing Caleb. You could give Tyler a few tips before he dies." Chase laughed. Tyler laid battered and bruised barely conscious on the floor.

"You should've stayed dead." Caleb growled. He sent two more telepathic blows at Chase. The house became unrecognizable as the two battled. "Getting tired Chase?"

"I'm just getting started Danvers. I'm going to tear your world apart." Chase growled wrathfully. In one swift motion Caleb joined Reid in the land of the unconscious in the broken bookshelf which actually led to the cellar below.

He moved to Whitney easily ignoring Qwerty's ignorant insults and looked at her with serenity. "Now, it's a shame that I'll have to make a point with you. You're such a beautiful woman, carefree."

He ran a single finger down the side of her face sending a dark spell coursing through her blood. The trail he made left dark veins crawling with poison through her. Whitney's breathing staggered and her eyes got hazy. He smiled at his work.

"It's slow." He said with emphasis on the pain she would be feeling. Tyler looked at her and she saw the tears brimming in eyes.

How could one person be so powerful?

Chase turned back to Kat. She could feel the blade of the knife cut even more into her throat as she gulped. The dryness in her mouth made it difficult so, it felt like she swallowed a whole roll of quarters.

"Don't worry. I didn't forget about you." He said. "As a matter of fact, you'll be coming with me."

He snatched the knife from her neck and tossed it to the floor then looked at Tyler while he had a solid grip on her neck again.

"You want her back? Come get her." Chase taunted. He was playing with them. This was his own personal game. Ryan stood sending sharp agonizing pain through his body and jumped at Chase, but was second too late because Chase was gone with Kat in hand.

Ryan fell to the floor with a yell as more pain shot up his side.

Both Qwerty and Whitney were released from their hold against the wall. Whitney could barely move. She felt sick to her stomach and ache-ish in her bones.

Qwerty rushed over to Tyler first. His face was swelling from the massive bruising brought on by Chase.

"Get Ryan to the Hummer then get Reid. I'll grab Caleb and Whitney." He mumbled. Qwerty nodded unable to form words.

"C'mon." Qwerty said moving over to Ryan and putting his arm around her neck while wrapping her own around his waist. She hoisted him up trying not pay attention to the amount of blood.

"Qwert-I'm not feeling too good." Ryan breathed. His eyes fluttered and suddenly all of his weight was put on Qwerty.

"Tyler!" Qwerty screamed panicked as she got to the Hummer. Tyler had followed her out grunting with Caleb in his arms. He ignored the tired aching feeling within. He didn't have time for it.

"He's dying." She stammered as she set him in the back seat. Tyler put Caleb in the front seat. "We should just call an ambulance."

"And tell them what!" he yelled. "That we were attacked supernaturally by a guy who is supposed to be dead!"

"Can't you heal them!" She yelled.

"It doesn't work like that!"

"Why not!" she yelled furiously.

"I don't know! It doesn't work that way unless you'd like to take on his injuries. To get you have to give." He said in a broken manor.

Qwerty didn't say anything after that. Tyler shook his head in despair and ran back into the house ignoring the pain in his leg. He ran past Whitney into the kitchen and grabbed three or four dish towels then ran back out to Ryan.

"Just hold these against his wound to slow the bleeding," Tyler said. He took Qwerty's hand and pressed it to Ryan's side. He pushed her up to be beside then slapped Ryan across the face making him shake his head. He opened his eyes and blinked warily. "Stay awake okay bro?"

Ryan nodded his head.

"He has her." He croaked. "And we're dying."

"We're not going to die. Not this easily." Tyler said.

Tyler turned and ran around the house to where Reid still laid unconscious. Tyler shook his best friend in hopes that he would wake unlike Caleb did. Reid stirred a little and opened his eyes a little. Everything was spinning for him.

"Reid, c'mon man. I can't do this alone." Tyler whispered to himself.

"Wha-" Reid breathed as he blinked a few times. Tyler helped him sit up then slowly stand up on his feet. The side of Reid's face was bleeding and he could barely see straight.

"Get to the car and make sure the others are okay. I have to get Whitney." Tyler left his friend and rushed into the house through the hole in the side of it.

Reid stumbled a little and rubbed his throbbing head. He stumbled to the car and saw Qwerty hold Ryan's side.

"What happened?" he mumbled as he got in on the other side of Ryan.

"The son of a bitch tore everything apart." Qwerty said trying to hold back her sobs. She shook Ryan. He was losing consciousness from the continuous blood loss. "Don't die."

Reid looked forward and saw that Caleb was in nearly the same shape as Ryan. His arm was bleeding as was his shoulder. Tyler came rushing out of the house with Whitney and went to Reid's side. Reid opened the door and took her then shut it again.

Tyler started the car and spun out of driveway.

Reid looked down at Whitney. He could feel her barely breathing.

"Whitney, baby doll, what's wrong?" he asked.

"I don't feel good." She mumbled hoarsely. He moved the hair covering her face to discover the veins on the side of her face were pitch black and whatever was in her was crawling everywhere within her making her veins ill colored.

"Drive faster baby-boy!" Reid called. The engine revved as Tyler hit the gas pedal harder. He glanced at Caleb. His condition hadn't changed.

Reid hugged the twin close to his chest. Whitney began to shake in his arms as if frozen cold. Reid glanced at Qwerty who sniffled lightly as she pressed a towel soaked in blood to Ryan's side. She shook him after he'd lost consciousness and continued to do so hoping it would wake him.

_This is the extent of Chase's power? _

"We're here." Tyler hit the brakes hard in the emergency vehicle lane and jumped out of the car not bothering to shut the car off. He moved to Qwerty's side and helped get Ryan out of the car. The two followed Reid who was already walking through the sliding hospital doors.

"Help!" Reid yelled. He could feel Whitney going limp in his arms. He didn't know what happened to her, but it was spreading. He'd ask later. She needed help now.

_Stay with me. If you died your sister wouldn't forgive me and I certainly wouldn't have a drinking buddy. _

Three nurses rushed towards him, one of them rolled a gurney up alongside him. He laid her down then looked back at Tyler. Two other nurses and a doctor were rolling Ryan away and Qwerty went with him. Tyler glanced at Reid momentarily before following Qwerty.

"There's still one in the car!" Reid called. He turned to go and help the doctor that walked out to get Caleb when a small, cold hand grabbed his. He looked down at Whitney. A single tear fell down her blackened temple into her hair.

"Promise you'll get her back." Whitney said feebly.

"We will." Reid said determined. He kept a hold of her hand and went with her as the nurses rolled her into the ER. He fought back tears as he watched the young woman suffer.

"Sir," A nurse said moving to his side. "You need to be taken care of."

"Fine, but I'm staying with her." He said.

* * *

><p><strong>(So…<strong>**You Get What You Give by the New Radicals**** started playing and it seemed like the perfect song for the ending sequence of this chapter. If you listen to it during this part you kind of get it, something sounding cheerily depressing for something rather depressing.)**

Caleb opened his eyes to the rhythmic beeping sound of the heart machine next to him and looked up at the ceiling. Moving to sit up he hissed. His shoulder gave off a sharp pain. Looking at it, he saw it was bandaged up as it also was down a little farther down.

He thought about the others instantly and got up. It took a few minutes to get dressed in the clothes he'd been brought in, but he was dressed and he stepped out in the hall to find his friends with prayers that they weren't gone. He looked up and down the hallway and didn't see anyone. He saw a nurse go into a room that was only a few rooms from his.

He looked through the window of the first room and saw a nurse tending to a patient. He didn't recognize the person at first. It was Tyler. Qwerty sat beside him, her hand in his. His right eye was dark purple nearly black and swollen shut. His cheek had a big cut on it and his lip was bust and swelling also. The nurse dabbed at his cheek with gauze. He had a cut on his brow as well. Qwerty glanced at Caleb, but it wasn't friendly. She looked back at Tyler and squeezed his hand comfortingly.

Caleb moved to the next room where he saw Ryan. Caleb sucked in a deep breath. Ryan laid in the hospital bed in a coma. He was hooked up to a breathing tube. There was a large bandage around his ribs. The heart monitor was beeping steadily as it read Ryan's heartbeat from the clip on his finger. Caleb pinched the bridge of his nose.

_They're all hurt. _

Caleb felt nothing, but guilt at seeing his friends in such pain. Chase came in for a vengeance call and nearly left a massacre. Caleb turned from Ryan's room as he heard Reid's voice in the room next door. He walked into the room and saw Whitney. Her veins were showing black along her face, arm, and probably the parts that Caleb couldn't see. She had two IV tubes in her wrists. Reid held her hand. The blood from his head was washed away though he still had blood on his shirt. All that remained was a gash on his forehead below his bangs.

"How are you feeling?" Reid asked.

"Rough." Caleb answered. "You?"

"Not so good. Chase has Kat."

Caleb felt his gut sink even lower than it already was.

"Chase left us alive for this, to show us he's more powerful."

"Alive?" Reid exclaimed in disbelief. "You call this alive?"

"What would you call it Reid?" Caleb said. "He came into our house and attacked us!"

"I can't believe you." Reid scoffed. "This isn't alive. This is barely making it."

"It didn't help that you attacked him the moment he went after Kat." Caleb accused.

"I tried to save her because I have a feeling that I know what he's going to do to her! What did you do leader! You waited until it was too late and we were losing! You waited until Ryan was dying on the floor, I was nearly knocked into a coma, and Baby-boy was almost beaten to death." Reid shouted. "WE have a new leader now."

"Who? You? Are you going to be able to do what's right for everyone?" Caleb snapped at Reid getting in his face.

"No." Reid said coldly. "But he is."

He gestured past Caleb who turned and saw Tyler leaning on Qwerty for support. He looked back at Reid who was so furious he had tears streaming down his cheeks. Reid turned away from him and sat by Whitney on her hospital bed. He took her hand in his.

"Tyler-" Caleb started.

"Reid's right." Tyler cut him off. There was no emotion in his voice. "I know it was my fault bringing Chase back to life. I take the responsibility for it, but where are you? You've done nothing , but say no and look where it got us."

There was a long silence within the group.

"Maybe you should take the backseat." Tyler said with finality. Caleb looked at each of his group members. Reid couldn't look at him he was so pissed off and Whitney just whimpered quietly as the spell that Chase had casted spread further. Qwerty gulped, but kept quiet. Tyler remained strong on his position.

Caleb was defeated.

"Alright." He said quietly. He walked towards the door, but looked over his shoulder at his friends before walking out. They didn't look at him. They couldn't. He knew that he was partly to blame for this. he'd fix this, but he needed a little help.

Caleb pulled out his cell phone and hit one on his speed dial.

* * *

><p>"Before we set out to officially kill the ones who killed me I thought we'd spend some time together. Alone." Chase said as he circled Kat.<p>

She didn't know where they were. Abandoned warehouse? Condemned house? Chase sighed and knelt down beside her. Kat scurried away from him without a sound. She only stopped when her back hit a wall. Chase just smirked knowingly.

"You'll be begging to die this time." He said dryly.

Kat started rocking back and forth. Chase walked to Kat again and held up his hand where rope appeared in his hand. Kat shuddered as she fought of sobs. It was going to be bad, whatever he was going to do, it would be bad. She didn't know what. She clenched her eyes tightly. Chase's smirked turned into a furious glare.

"No!" Kat screamed.

No one heard her screams. No one helped her.

* * *

><p><strong>I wasn't sure how this chapter would go. It was a bit complicated. I hope it came out right. <strong>

**You be the judge and tell me in a review ;)**


	35. Seeing Through Another

**And I'm here with another chapter for you. The reviews are slow, but that's okay. This story has been a working progress and the way I write is like watching a tv show in a sense. This would be in Season 2 and it's soon coming to an end. Something big is going to happen and I hope you viewers are ready!**

**Thank you to the reviewers 3**

* * *

><p>"Find her yet?" Qwerty asked Reid. He was sitting downstairs on the couch.<p>

Ryan was still in the hospital as was Whitney. Neither were doing much better. Caleb volunteered to stay with him and keep everyone updated on his health. Tyler and Reid had done the best they could with cleaning up the house. Before they had the chance to do that though, the cops came by the house and told them that a disturbance had been reported. Reid put a glamour on the house so that when the officers walked throughout the house they didn't see the gaping hole in the side of the living room and the destroyed furniture and blood everywhere. Afterwards he and Tyler took the time to put the house back together the easy way.

"No." Reid hadn't slept since Chase's drop in. He looked at the picture he'd brought down from his room. It was the one with just the two of them. He was hoping that with using the photograph he could take the connection and try to use it to focus on where Kat could be. He wasn't getting far and figured Chase had something to do with it.

Qwerty noticed the look in his eyes as he stared at the picture. It was heartbroken mixed with failure.

"We'll get her." Qwerty said trying to keep up the morale of the group or what was left of it anyway. Reid didn't feel so sure. By now she could be dead.

"Yeah." he mumbled. He ran a hand through his messy hair. Qwerty could see that it was more than worry with him.

"I'll go see Tyler." She said and went downstairs to the cellar where Tyler was shuffling through the Book of Damnation.

She watched as it floated in front of him. Every few seconds the page would turn on its own. Qwerty stared at the anomaly. Seeing this kind of thing still left Qwerty wonderstruck.

"Find anything?" she asked.

"I read the book when I was a kid and recently there are new entries. Things that we've never come across. There's more than just us out there." Tyler said. He sounded as exhausted as Reid was. The book closed and went back to its rightful place on the book shelf along the far wall.

Tyler turned around to face Qwerty. She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the wall.

"We can't do this alone." She said.

"We?" Tyler said. "There's no we. There's me, Reid and Caleb. I'm not going to let you end up like Ryan or possibly like Whitney."

"How is she?"

"We were able to slow the process, but it's still making its way through her." Tyler said. Qwerty nodded.

Tyler inhaled deeply. Pushing off of the wall, Qwerty made her way over to him and wrapped her arms around him.

"I know it seems ridiculous, but I keep thinking that somehow we're going to get out of this and everything will go back to normal-ish." She said quietly. Tyler hugged her back, engulfing her in his warmth.

"That's not ridiculous." He said. Qwerty was the strongest of them all right now. It was the only thing keeping Tyler sane. "We'll get there."

* * *

><p>Reid laid back on the couch. It wasn't comfortable. Nothing could make him comfortable right. He was too busy thinking about Kat. Memories of the two of them played throughout his mind.<p>

"I shouldn't have tried to stay friends." He grumbled to himself aloud. "I should've told her to just go fuck herself. That would be less painful than right now. Her boyfriend is in critical condition. If she were still with me she wouldn't have to be afraid that I might die. I can take care of myself."

In the midst of his continuous negative rambling, there was a knock on the door.

"Who the fuck knocks in this house!" Reid yelled.

The door opened and Reid looked up to see Pogue Parry standing over him. His eyebrows were raised in curiosity.

"A person who doesn't live here." He said. There was a long pause as the two just stared at each other. "You look like shit."

For the first time since Kat had broken off whatever the two had had Reid laughed. It was a good hard laugh. He sat up and Pogue took a seat beside him.

"Caleb called me. Tyler downstairs?" Pogue asked. Reid just nodded.

"The golden boy is at the hospital with Whitney and Ryan."

"Aren't those two dead?" Pogue asked.

"They were." Reid replied.

"I've missed a lot."

"Yeah, Chase had been stringing this along all the way back to Kat's move in." Reid added. Pogue hung his head. "He was on her the whole time and nobody knew. Now he has her and…"

Reid couldn't finish.

"It isn't your fault. The asshole is powerful. That's why I'm here. With all four of us we should be able to take him out." Pogue said. "Get some sleep man. I'll go get caught up some more with Tyler."

Reid sighed then got up and trudged upstairs to his room. He wasn't sure if he could even get himself to sleep. For a while he just stared up at the ceiling. When he did fall asleep, it was a hard, restless sleep.

"_So what's going on?"_

_Reid sat up on his elbows and saw Kat peeking into his room. She was smiling and Reid just stared at her dumbstruck._

"_How?"_

"_It doesn't matter." She said. Coming into the room, she closed the door quietly. She tiptoed over to his bedside and laid down next to him._

"_Why are you wearing my hoodie?" he asked. It was confusing._

"_I thought you'd like to see me in it." She said snuggling close to him. It was what Reid wanted. Her in his arms, close. She smelled sweet like honey. _

"_Kat…" Reid let her go and sat up so that there was space between them. "I want to be with you, but Ryan…I'm-well, I can be respectable. We-"_

_He gestured between himself and her._

"_We happened at the wrong time and I'm sorry." He said. The words felt heavy like the Titanic being dragged into the ocean. Reid didn't know why he said it. He would've rather just take her for himself in a number of ways._

_Kat looked at him softly and scooted across the bed and straddled his lap. She caressed along his cheekbone and watched his eyes water. He wanted her here, but she wouldn't be. The one thing he wanted for once in his life. The one solid thing and it wasn't possible. _

"_I'm here with you. Not Ryan. At the moment I need you okay? I feel bad inside. Just make it go away…please." She pleaded with him. Reid rubbed his hands along her arms. Even through the hoodie he could feel the coldness emanating off of her. _

_He laid his forehead to hers; his jaw tightened. With a sharp of his face Reid's lips crushed hers. A whimper came from her. Reid's arms wound around her like a snake with no intention of letting go._

_Kat's lips parted and their tongues touched. The moment they did, Reid pulled out of the kiss._

"_I can't." he said. "I want to…but-"_

_Kat put her fingers to his lips. They were smooth and Reid kissed the tips. _

"_It's okay." She said. She moved her fingers and kissed him lightly. "I love you."_

"Wake up!" Kat screamed awake to a hit across the face. Her whole body ached. Chase had been going at her for hours. He left her after getting tired of her. He swore she fell into a coma.

"I have a plan and I'm going to let you watch." Chase said. "I owe you that at least."

Grabbing Kat by the throat, he slammed her against the nearby wall. She still hadn't figured out where she was. Then he touched her temple and a sharp pain reflected through her head. More screams filled the room.

He dropped only seconds after he touched her.

"Were you dreaming a little dream of me?" he said sadistically.

"That would be called a nightmare." Kat grounded out. Her dream…she was in a place that felt like home.

"I'll show you a nightmare." Chase said. His eyes glimmered as he stared down at his small hostage. "See you soon."

Then in a flash he was gone. Kat started to hyperventilate the moment he left because she no longer saw the deserted concrete room she'd been put in for what was feeling like months. She was in the hospital. In a room. Ryan laid in the bed hooked to a breathing tube. His current status hadn't changed.

"No!" she yelled. Her hands curled into fists.

She could feel Chase's smile and it made her sick. Chase walked over to the door and locked it and smirked evilly at Caleb. Caleb saw him and jumped up from his chair and tried to get in. chase blocked every attempt he tried to get into the room. Even when Caleb 'used' he blocked it. Then he held a finger to his lips.

"Shhhh." He said. He turned back to Ryan.

"No." Kat breathed seeing everything he was seeing. "Please."

Tears filled her eyes.

Chase took the breathing tube from Ryan's mouth.

"Chase no!" Caleb yelled from outside the room. He hit the glass window with full force, but the glass just healed itself.

Chase looked at the knife wound in Ryan's abdomen.

"You poor bastard." Chase scoffed. He took a step back and watched as Ryan started to thrash. Then his body lifted from the bed as his body split down the front and the sheets of the bed were no longer white. Ryan fell to the bed and the heart monitor stopped beeping. His insides were visible to the world and Kat watched as she saw Ryan's heart stop. Ryan didn't scream or yell. he just stopped living in his coma state. blood dripped from his mouth.

"NO!" both Caleb and Kat screamed watching it happen helplessly. Chase looked down at his shoes disappointed that he got blood on his shoes. He turned his head and looked back at Caleb. His face was in complete distraught.

"See you soon Caleb." Chase said. His eyes were black and empty. He felt nothing about this.

Kat's vision faded back to the room she was in. Running to the nearest corner, she puked. Sobs rang throughout her. Chase forced her to watch him rip Ryan apart.

"Enjoy the show?"

Kat turned and wiped her mouth as she glared daggers at Chase. It was pointless, but the rage running through her body sent the pain in her body away. She charge at chase and hit him across the face. She got two good hits in before Chase knocked her back effortlessly.

"You son of a bitch!" she screamed at him as she sat on her knees. Chase knelt down near her.

"Don't you worry now. You'll join your boyfriend soon." Chase said. Kat looked up at him with her tear stricken eyes in horror. He'd said it in a mournful tone.

* * *

><p>The door to Ryan's room unlocked the second Chase was gone. Chase had gone beyond psychotic.<p>

Caleb ran into the room and nearly slipped on the slick floor covered in Ryan's blood. Nurses rushed into the room and screamed. Caleb touched the top of Ryan's head as he cried uncontrollably over his dead destructed body. Caleb held back the revulsion in his throat.

"Sir, you need to get out of here!" a doctor yelled as he came in. he tried to pull Caleb away, but he just shoved the doctor away. Caleb took a step back; his hands raised in the air in despair. Turning he left the room and fumbled while pulling his phone from his pocket.

* * *

><p>"Caleb, calm down." Tyler said into the phone. Qwerty wore a worried look. "What? No, you're lying."<p>

Qwerty heard yelling come out of the phone. Tyler fell to his knees right then. His phone fell from his hand.

"Tyler…" Qwerty said. Her eyes were already watering because she knew something was wrong. Something went bad.

"He's dead." Tyler choked up. "Ryan…Chase finished him off."

What?" Qwerty said unsure if she heard it right. A lump grew in her throat.

"He's gone. His blood is all over the hospital room." Tyler said. Silence filled the cellar. Qwerty felt as if she couldn't breathe. She sucked in hard and out came a loud sob. She ran up the stairs and nearly ran into a man wearing a black leather jacket who had dark hair nearly to his shoulders.

"Whoa," he stopped her, but her sobs grew heavier as the pain grew inside. The loss echoed through her limbs making everything feel heavy. "What's wrong?"

"He's dead!" she screamed.

Reid came bounding down the stairs right then. Qwerty looked past Pogue and at him.

"Ryan's dead." She breathed. She fell to her knees unable to stand any longer. Pogue fell with her and held her. He looked back at Reid whose face went pale. He looked as if he might puke.

"Chase is dead." Reid growled out.

* * *

><p><strong>I nearly cried writing this. It was really hard because I didn't want Ryan to die. It was even harder since Kat saw it. I tought Kat an dReid sharing the dream was good though. <strong>

**Review?**


	36. Leverage Of The Wonder Twins

Kat cried to the point where she got sick again. Chase watched her fall apart. A part of him felt bad, but it was easily replaced by the petty destruction he wanted to commit.

"People are so easy to destroy." He commented. "I can guarantee he died quickly, but not painlessly.

Kat looked up at his towering figure with rage. It's all she had left. All that kept her alive.

"Just kill me already." She spat. There wasn't much more she could take. Whitney was probably dead now so what was the point in going on?

Chase chuckled.

"Not yet. I have to kill the others first. I need you for that." He explained. "Speaking of, I have an appointment."

Kat glanced around quickly and grabbed at a rock nearby. She threw in Chase's direction, but it went through him as he disappeared in a haze. She tried the door like she'd done every time he left. It was locked in place. She whimpered as she tried. The blisters on her palms were splitting open again.

"Open!" she screamed at the door. She kicked it then turned to go back to the corner she was sitting in.

Chase was doing something. He wasn't leaving to just torment people. He was getting ready for a fight. A power struggle. Kat knew it wouldn't end well. There would be more death by the time the end was here. All she could do was sit and wait and possibly cry.

Tyler peeked into his bedroom where Qwerty had once again cried herself to sleep.

"It's been a week Tyler. We still haven't found anything." Caleb said. "Ryan's funeral is tomorrow."

"We're drowning aren't we?" Tyler said rhetorically. He turned and faced Caleb. "Qwerty's having night terrors, Reid is going around halfcocked. Pogue seems to be barely hanging on. He barely speaks. Sarah okay?"

"She's in Ipswich now. My mom is looking after her." Caleb replied. He put a hand on Tyler's shoulder. "You're not failing if that's what you think. Just hang on."

Tyler nodded. His eyes had dark circles around them. He'd been sleeping the least of everybody.

"I don't know what to do. Could she be dead already?" Tyler asked quietly.

"I don't know. We need to handle this before chase does anything more. Whitney isn't getting any better."

"Hello!? Is anybody home!?" Tyler and Caleb looked at each in terror. Qwerty shot up in bed and screamed.

Tyler didn't waste time going to her side where she had hugged up to the headboard. He took her tear filled face in his hands.

"It's okay." He lied. She shook her head knowingly. "I'm going to lock the door. Don't come out no matter what. Do you understand? I don't care if it sounds like me or the others. Don't open it."

Qwerty nodded. Tyler kissed her forehead then walked out of the room hastily. The door closed as he did and clicked. Qwerty hugged her knees to her chest.

"Pogue Parry." Chase commented. "It's been too long."

"Not long enough. You should be dead." Pogue spat. His and Caleb's eyes were black. The power flowing through the room was thick.

"Qwerty…" Chase called with a smirk. "Where do you hide?"

Tyler had come down the stairs as he spoke.

"Oh no you don't." Tyler sent Chase flying backwards with a thought. The clean house was soon becoming a battle zone once again.

Tyler received a blow from the side and his world spun slowly as he fell to the ground. Out from the kitchen walked a tall blonde in stilettos and tight jeans along with a guy with just as blonde of hair. He wore a leather jacket. Both of them just smirked.

"Not much competition." The young woman said.

"Relax Hilary. It's not as if we made ourselves known."

"But they're supposed to be all powerful Will." She said with a pouty face.

"You didn't think I was alone did you?" Chase laughed. He spit out a mouthful of blood.

"Enough!" Pogue yelled halting the fight from going any further. "We're not fighting here."

"You're right about that." Chase agreed. "Hilary, why don't you go visit their little blonde friend."

"With pleasure." She replied with an evil yet seductive tone. She snapped her fingers and was gone.

Chase stood back up and looked at his adversaries studying them.

"I figure we can relive old memories." Chase said. "You don't show then it won't matter if Kat lives or dies. I'll tell you this though. It'll be one hell of a show."

Caleb's jaw clenched. He glanced at Pogue. His facial expression changed. He could tell that Caleb had a plan set in motion.

"Caleb don't even." Pogue said reaching out to stop Caleb. Caleb shoved him back and ran at Chase as he was exiting. The air rushed from his lungs as they disappeared and he ended up tackling Chase down to the ground.

Kat screamed seeing them come in. she rushed to help not bothering to process how Caleb fell through. Will grabbed her by the hair quickly stopping her.

"You're not going anywhere." He growled as he tightened his grip. Kat swung at him futilely. His eyes glinted at her eagerly. He flung her backwards. Kat's head cracked loudly against the wall. The room began to spin as she slid down to the ground.

"Caleb…" she mumbled as she blinked. Will knelt down beside her.

"When he's not around I will be." He said. His eyes trailed over her broken body.

"Touch me and die asshole." She grunted. Will didn't respond. He just watched as she struggled to get away from him.

Caleb flew across the room into the wall causing it to crack from the force.

"You shouldn't have done that Caleb." Chase seethed as he got to his feet and towered over him. Caleb coughed up blood trying to breathe.

Kat crawled towards the two. Will followed and kicked her as he did. She winced and cried out, but didn't stop. She couldn't. Chase would kill him and she could bear to see another person she cared about die.

"Caleb…" she called out louder. He looked up at her. She was barely recognizable. Her face was swelling from bruising and blood had dried around her nose and mouth. She was holding her side as she made her way to him. Will kicked her again and Chase enjoyed watching the two try to reunite.

Caleb reached out to her. Pain shot up his side as he did.

"Don't go." She pleaded as tears streaked down her face.

"I'm not going anywhere." Caleb told her ignoring their two kidnappers. Kat collapsed unable to go farther. Caleb closed his eyes ignoring the agony within and reached farther. Grabbing her hand, he envisioned home.

The two disappeared from the room causing Will's face to contort into rage then reappeared. Caleb looked around confused. Kat shook in his arms.

"I should've told you," Chase said. "There's a bit of a charm on the room. I figured that it wouldn't be long before one of you would follow so it seemed fitting. Thank you, Kat. You are lovely bait even though you look like the walking dead."

Kat didn't say anything. Instead she lifted her hand and flipped him off. Will laughed hysterically.

"Half dead and she's still got attitude."

"Let us go." Caleb hissed.

"Why would I do that? You tried to kill me. After I'm done with you though I might move on to more fruitful targets." Chase said in a suggestive tone. "Right now however, we have places to be."

Chase reached down and grabbed Kat by her hair making her whimper more. Caleb's eyes went black, but before he could make a move Will grabbed him by the throat digging his fingers into his throat.

"I wouldn't do that." He said calmly. Caleb kept his stare on Kat who watched helplessly. She fought to get free, but it was useless. She just kept hurting herself by fighting.

"Shall we? We have Ipswich sons to kill." Chase said.

"I'm sure Hilary has Reid by now." Will said.

The four of them dispersed from the room.

Reid took another swig from his beer. He was hoping the loud music flowing throughout The Back Alley and a few drinks would dull the ache in his mind. Ryan was dead and Whitney was following right behind. Reid hadn't dreamt of Kat since that night that Ryan had died. He thought about it often though. Guilt flushed through him when he did, but so did the passion to have her in his arms again. He'd gone off on his own a lot because he couldn't look any of the others in the face. They'd see that he was going insane on the inside.

"Hey there stranger." Reid rolled his eyes at the greeting. "Having a bad night?"

"Look, I'm really not in th-" Reid stopped as he turned. She was blonde and shapely. Reid was easily distracted by her body.

"I'm Hilary." She introduced herself as she took a seat beside him.

"Reid." He said. He'd forgotten what else he was going to say. Hilary moved closer to him as his eyes glazed over in lust.

"It's so sad." She said to him as she reached out her hand and caressed his cheeks. It sent a reverberating chill down that side of his body. A love spell always did the trick. They all went gushy at her feet and worship her. "I wish you didn't have to die. I would love to keep you around."

"You're beautiful." He breathed not looking away from her. All of the pain that circled his head had disappeared and was replaced with what felt like feathers and air. It was light and sweet feeling. He smiled at her and wanted so badly to touch her ivory skin.

Hilary laughed. She took Reid's hand and led him through the crowded club. None of the people in the room had a clue what was happening. Battles over simple lives were taking place and these people drank and danced the night away. Hilary scoffed. Her life had never been so lucky. Her and Will were tossed to the streets at thirteen by their parents because of the power they had grown into. A month later their house burned down with their parents inside. Thinking about it all over again made Hilary smile. Especially since it was her and her twin that lit the house on fire. The authorities said it was an accident.

Hilary looked back at Reid who stared after her like a puppy dog. You'll be an accident too, she thought with a sly grin. She led him outside and down an alleyway. Some college kids made out down the alleyway and Reid knew that.

Hilary pushed Reid up against the wall. Leaning in closely to him, she kissed him lightly. He barely felt her lips on his.

"I'm sorry." He whispered. Hilary backed away a little bit confused.

"Excuse me?" she asked. Reid's eyes changed as he grabbed her by the arm and the hair. She was knocked out cold as he slammed her head against the brick wall. Her head bled down her face.

"I can't believe you thought I'd fall for that lust shit." He said with a cocky smirk. Leaning down, he picked her up bridal style and disappeared.

Appearing to be horribly broken and off the edge did have its perks Reid had decided. In some cases it brought you exactly what you needed.

Reid appeared in the living room of the house. He dropped Hillary to ground with a hard thump.

"Just stay there." He told her even though she wasn't conscious. "Tyler!"

There was no answer to his call. It made him nervous instantly. He walked into the kitchen passing the part of the wall that looked like it had a sledge hammer taken to it.

"Hey!" Reid called more harshly now. Panic settled in his gut now making his heart rate speed up.

Reid ran upstairs to see if there was anybody up there.

"Please let somebody be here." He said out of breath as he was checking rooms. Getting to Tyler's, he twisted the knob, but it was locked. He rapped on it hard. "If you're in there give me a sign!"

There was no reply. No sound. He rapped again. Still Nothing.

"I'm coming in!" he called just in case something awaited him on the other side. He hoped nothing did.

The lock clicked. The door creaked as he slowly pushed it open. Tyler's bed had been slept in, but nobody was there now.

"Hello?" Reid called. A skittering sound from the closet answered him. He moved to the closet ready for action. He counted to three then swung it open quickly.

Qwerty stared up at him with large, terrified eyes. She scrambled farther back into the closet as she stared up at him. Reid just stared at her stunned.

"Qwerty." He said as he held out his hand. She stared at it then took it reluctantly.

"You're not evil?" she asked.

"Only on good days." He replied sarcastically. Qwerty engulfed him in a hug right then. That answer was enough to tell her that he wasn't Chase or anything. The tightness in her chest released and hell must have frozen over. She was hugging him. The two normally kept a good distance unless bickering which would turn into fighting.

"Thank god." She breathed. She let go. "Where is everyone?"

"I don't know. I thought you would." He replied. She just shook her head.

"They're gone?"

Reid's brows furrowed in frustration.

"What do we do now?" Qwerty asked.


	37. It Happens In a Blink

"Where's Hilary?" Will hissed. His fury kept building the longer he was away from his sister.

"She's probably playing with him." Chase said meaning Reid.

Caleb and Kat sat in the field near what was left of Putnam barn in Ipswich. It all led back to this place.

"So he died here?" she asked him quietly.

"Yeah," Caleb said trying not to remember the circumstances of how it happened.

"I'm sorry." Kat said trying not to cry again. They were going to die soon. "I had no idea."

"None of us did." Caleb said knowing that she meant Chase's coming back.

"He's the one who possessed Cole. He was innocent and chase made him do all of those things. Then he made me do things." She said in a quiet defeated voice. "How does he have so much power? Can't you fight him? You're just as powerful."

"And he has backup and we don't." Caleb said. It wasn't a bad idea, but he was outmatched. At the moment he was just biding his time.

"This part of memory lane is a bit worn out don't you think?"

Chase and Will turned as Caleb and Kat looked up hopeful.

"Tyler." Kat breathed smiling. She didn't care if it hurt to. She barely caught it, but Tyler smiled to at her.

"Just you?" Chase laughed.

"No." Everyone's head shot to the left where Reid had appeared. He had Hilary by the hair. Dry blood was spread on her face and throughout parts of her hair. She struggled furiously, but to no avail. "It took me a little bit trying to find out where the party was and this little tart tried to kill me."

Kat snorted and received a hit to the back of the head by Will. If her hands weren't bound she would've hit him back.

"Qwerty's safe." Reid told Tyler. Tyler breathed a sigh of relief then turned back to Chase and Will.

"It seems we have a standoff." Tyler said crossing his arms over his chest.

"Let me go you bastard!" Hilary screeched.

"Shut up." Reid said coldly. She'd said it multiple times since she woke up from having been slammed against the brick wall. He looked at Will who had a glint of hatred in his eyes directed at Reid. It only made his smirk feeling pleased. "Want her back? Come get her."

"Hold on." Tyler said hold and arm out across Reid before hell broke loose. "How about a trade?"

"What!?" Reid exclaimed. "Hell no!"

"Give us ours, we'll give you yours." Tyler said ignoring Reid. Chase thought about it.

Kat gulped and looked up. Clouds swirled overhead. They were dark and ominous.

"Caleb." She said still looking up. "I'm a little scared."

"You're not alone."

"You should know something." She said breathing shallowly. "If I had a brother, he'd probably be you. You're annoying enough."

Caleb coughed into a laugh.

"Thanks, I think. Just quit talking like that okay? We're not dead." He said.

"Yet." She added.

"Sure." Chase said. Caleb and Kat froze. A giddy feeling that the chance of walking away from this alive swept through Kat. Chase gestured at Will.

He moved to Caleb and grabbed him from behind and pushed him forward.

Reid kept a firm grip on Hilary. She whimpered as he tightened his grip on her.

"Kat too." Tyler said.

"Oh no. You said yours. She's not yours. As a matter of fact she's mine. She's been mine from the very beginning. She just didn't know it." Chase said cocking an eyebrow at her. Reaching down, he pulled her to her feet roughly. "She stays with me."

"No deal." Reid growled. The snap of Hilary's neck in his hands echoed across the field. She fell lifelessly to the ground.

"No!" Will yelled angrily. His eyes flashed black. Caleb was tossed to the side and Will went after Reid.

"Reid!" Tyler hollered as he watched his friend fight him.

Tyler cursed and rushed to Caleb's side. Caleb had already 'used' to undo the rope around his wrists. They were raw and bleeding.

"You okay man?" Tyler asked as he stood.

"Yeah." The two turned and faced Chase who held Kat in front of him as if she were a human shield.

"You let her go!" Caleb shouted. Chase looked at Kat face to face. it looked as if he would kiss her almost. Kat's jaw clenched.

"No, I think I'll keep her. She needs an actual boyfriend, not a ghost." He said.

"You son of a bitch!" she screamed. Chase pinched her face in one hand so that she was forced to look at her friends. She shut her eyes as she saw Reid kill Will. He didn't snap his neck like he did with Hilary. He shoved his fist right through him. The visionary twisted Tyler's stomach.

"It's okay. They were expendable. I always have a backup plan." Chase smirked. His eyes turned black. Caleb took a step to advance on him. Chase let go of Kat's face and held out a finger to stop him. "I wouldn't."

Reid looked towards where the four of them stood forty feet away. His hand dripped with blood. His chest tightened as Kat stared at him. he read the fright in hers eyes.

"No. Don't." he breathed getting the idea of Chase's final move. His eyes began to water. He prayed to be wrong with his assumption. "No."

Reid started running.

"I." chase started.

Don't!" Reid shouted. Tyler and Caleb looked back at Reid who was running full force towards them confused then at Chase.

"Will."

"Chase no." Caleb shouted in realization. He was giving her his power. All of it. "You'll kill her!"

"You." Chase smiled widely. "You wanted me dead. I can only do so much Danvers."

"Chase!" Tyler charged at him, but flew backwards into Caleb. Tumbling to the ground, the two sat up fast.

"Everything."

"No!" Reid shouted only five feet off. Lightning cracked across the sky coming down and hitting both Chase and Kat. Her screams pierced the three men. Reid drop to his knees feeling the electricity crawling through him from the strike.

"Katherine!" he yelled.

The flash was there then gone. Chase's grip on Kat loosened as the life within fled him. Kat fell with him.

Reid ignored the surging pain and numbness in certain parts of his body.

"Wake up." He said taking Kat into his arms and away from chase. Caleb ran over to Chase. Holding two fingers to his neck he looked up at Tyler and shook his head stiffly. Reid rocked back and forth holding Kat in his arms. She had no heartbeat. Her body was smoking from the hit. Her hair was smoldered and fringed. "Wake up."

Tears fell from his eyes hitting her cheeks.

"Please." Her arm hung limp as he continued to rock back and forth. "I love you."

Caleb and Tyler looked at Reid holding her.

"I'll call Pogue." Caleb mumbled. Tyler stood there speechless. Caleb didn't know what else to do. Everything felt numb, emotionless as his housemate, one of his best friend lied in the grass in the arms of another housemate, best friend.

* * *

><p>"Hello?" Pogue said answering his cell phone. He glanced at Qwerty lying on the hospital bed by Whitney who slept.<p>

He stood quickly and watched her dark veins fade.

"Caleb, she's getting better. She'd going to be okay." Pogue said not hiding his glee. His brows furrowed as he heard the tone in Caleb's voice. "What's wrong? Did you get Kat back?"

"What? No."Pogue said in disbelief. Caleb kept going though not giving Pogue the chance to argue. Chase had been dealt with himself, but not without taking somebody with him. His games were over.

Pogue looked over at Qwerty who was blinking groggily. She gave him a worried look. He turned away from her.

"I'm going to go." Pogue hung up. The beating in his chest hurt now.

"She's getting better." Qwerty commented as she brushed small strands of Whitney's hair from her face. "Chase must be dead right? That's what this means?"

"Yeah." Pogue answered sullenly.

"What's wrong? Everybody's okay right?" she asked. She hoped he'd say yes. Everyone was fine.

"Qwerty…"

Qwerty got up from the bed and walked over to him so that he didn't wake Whitney. Pogue told her the news. Qwerty just stood there unsure of what she just heard. She stared at Pogue blankly who was fighting back tears. Slowly, her legs felt weak.

"No." she said. "She doesn't die. She comes back from this kind of thing. She's not dead."

Here legs caved from beneath her and she fell to the tile floor.

"She's not gone." She breathed. Pogue watched as she began to cry.

"What wrong?" Qwerty and Pogue looked over. Whitney had awoken.

* * *

><p>"Wake up." Reid pleaded ignoring Tyler and Caleb.<p>

"Reid." Tyler breathed barely. "She gone."

It's funny about life and death situations. Supposedly, right before you die you see your life flash before your eyes. Katherine didn't see much. Just a bright flash of light. It was painless. The world in her eyes just stopped moving.

It was Tyler, Caleb and Reid who had life flash before their eyes that night. From the moment they first met her two years ago up to this moment.

_"Well, wait. There are a few questions I need to ask you to see if it's alright." He said_

_Kat froze in her steps and turned to look at him surprised. He chuckled at the look on her face._

_"Uh, okay." She said_

_"Your name might be a good start." He said_

_"Oh, right. Kat Pandora and yes I know the last name is weird." She said with a half laugh._

_/\/\/\/\/\_

_"No, get the hell out of this room." Reid said coming into the room._

_Kat just finished putting something away and looked at him._

_"Did you not hear me when I said that this was my room?"_

_"Oh," she said as if just remembering "No actually, I was ignoring you."_

_Reid's face flushed red in anger and Kat just stared at him blankly._

_/\/\/\/\/\_

_"I'm Qwerty by the way." She said. "I know it's a stupid name. Trust me, I asked my parents over and over why they'd name me that." She chuckled to the look on Kat's face. Kat cracked a smile and held out her hand._

_"Kat." She said plainly._

_/\/\/\/\/\_

_"It's just too funny is all. You two into the whole occult thing." She still struggled not to laugh "Just don't volunteer me for being the sacrificial lamb."_

_/\/\/\/\/\_

_"Hey what are you exactly? An it?" Reid smarted off_

_Caleb was curious himself._

_**Guy, dude.**_

_Reid smirked knowing that it was sarcasm._

_"Well, I guess there are four people living up in here. It's a full house Cale." Reid said "An oblivious normal girl, two warlocks, and a ghost."_

_/\/\/\/\/\_

_"You know we love you." Caleb grumbled._

_/\/\/\/\/\_

_"Cole." He introduced himself casually_

_"Kat." she said_

_"Sounds mysterious. I like mysteries." He said_

_/\/\/\/\/\_

_Reid followed her and continued going until finally she just turned on him and put a hand over his mouth._

_"Be quiet." She said_

_He stopped talking then suddenly licked her hand. Kat squealed and wiped her hand on him._

_"That was disgusting!" she exclaimed_

_He just laughed and put and arm around her shoulder._

_/\/\/\/\/\_

_"I didn't do anything stupid did I?" Qwerty asked_

_"Nope." Kat said smirking_

_Qwerty let out a sigh of relief._

_"You just shoved your tongue down a guy's throat." Kat finished_

_Qwerty's eyes went wide at that moment and she just slammed her head down on her desk. Other students looked at them curious._

_"She's just hungover." Kat said laughing._

_/\/\/\/\/\_

_"Careful Kat. Wouldn't want to think you're comfortable." Reid said in a hushed tone._

_"Kat this is Baby Boy." Reid said with a smirk_

_Baby Boy huffed and held out his hand to shake hers._

_"It's Tyler." He said laughing._

_/\/\/\/\/\_

_"You all have so many secrets and you know what? They're gonna bite you in the ass!" Qwerty nearly yelled the last part._

_/\/\/\/\/\_

_"You can't do this." she breathed_

_"Why?" he dared ask._

_/\/\/\/\/\_

_"Caleb," Kat mouthed "there's something wrong with him…"_

_Then she started backing away from Reid._

_"Kat, let me explain." He said knowing exactly what was going through her head._

_"You're like him!" she spouted barely and painfully_

_/\/\/\/\/\_

_"Uh, excuse me? I don't know who you think you are, but you can't just walk into people's houses." Reid said to a red head in a yellow t shirt and shorts with tanned skin that had her back to him._

_Where did she come from? I didn't even hear the door open, Reid thought._

_She turned around and faced him. Sunglasses covered her face as she stared at him. They stared at each other for a few seconds. Reid wondered why she looked familiar. He took a step closer. She seemed rigid._

_"Hey, what's going on?" Caleb asked as he made his way down the stairs._

_"I-I'm sorry." She said_

_She turned and started walking out. She cursed herself._

_"Wait." Reid said "Turn around."_

_She obliged for reasons she didn't know. Then hesitantly she pulled off her sunglasses. She took a step back whereas Reid took a step forward in disbelief. He didn't think he'd see her ever again, and yet here she was. He wanted to touch her and poke her to make sure she was real. She was alive. Sure enough though, his mouth hung open. It hung open for a young woman he at first didn't even like. Someone he wanted to be gone at one point._

_"Kat." Caleb said_

_/\/\/\/\/\_

_"Dick tart." Kat said feeling impressed with putting two and two together._

_"Nice," Reid said impressed himself then shaking his head "wait no, not nice you twat cake."_

_"Hey! Don't you go mixing cake and my twat in the same sentence. I don't freak that way." She said as she hit him in the arm._

_/\/\/\/\/\_

_"Can I copy your notes later?" she asked._

_"Yeah, let's just go before we miss lunch." He said._

_"Always thinking about your stomach Tyler." Kat said in a playful huffy tone._

_/\/\/\/\/\_

_"Plus, what could really happen? It couldn't be worse. I me-" Reid covered her mouth right then and was giving her a crazy look._

_"You don't say shit like that. You can jinx all kinds of things." Reid exclaimed._

_/\/\/\/\/\_

_Reid sat down beside Kat. He could see her eyes brimming with tears._

_"I miss her so much." She said._

_Reid couldn't say he understood. He was an only child. So he just wrapped his arms around her and pulled her onto his lap where he just held her there. She broke down into a sob._

_/\/\/\/\/\_

_"Whoa, what?" Qwerty said with her mouth gaping and her intent on rehearing what just came out of Kat's mouth._

_"It's not like it's anything serious. It just happened. I was feeling bad and he was actually being…nice and-"_

_"Him, nice. It's strange. We're not in the twilight zone are we?" Qwerty asked._

_/\/\/\/\/\_

_Kat gasped in air and coughed as she bolted upright, her eyes wide and terrified. Tyler just as scared jumped to his feet and caught her by the shoulders before she fell off the metal bed. She looked around wildly confused._

_"What happened? Where am I?" she asked scared._

_"Relax," Tyler told her "you're in the morgue."_

_"What!" she exclaimed._

_/\/\/\/\/\_

_"You going to take advantage of me again?" she joked._

_"Thought crossed my mind." He smirked._

_"Oh really? Because I should tell you, I'm not looking for a relationship." She grinned._

_"Eh, they're overrated."_

_"Good, then there won't be complications." She said._

_Reid kissed her before she could say much more. Kat couldn't complain either. He was good._

_/\/\/\/\/\_

_"Hey! You don't slap a chick!" he tried._

_"It's my body! I'll do what I want!" she screamed loudly from his body. "And your going to fix this."_

_Tyler stood and looked down at himself taking in Kat's body. Kat put her hand on her hips and glared at him from his body._

_/\/\/\/\/\_

_"Let me say it this time." Reid said as she looked at him shocked. "You think it's over, it's not for me."_

_/\/\/\/\/\_

_"Look, there are people looking for me. People you don't want to mess with." Kat threatened._

_He was quiet at that. His smile didn't fade though._

_"Oh I know. I've already called them."_

_Kat's eyebrows scrunched together out of confusion._

_"You called them." She said blankly._

_"Yeah, you'll be here for the next few days." He said. "I'm Pogue by the way. Pogue Perry."_

_/\/\/\/\/\_

_"What if she doesn't come back?" Qwerty then asked._

_She didn't look up. Reid looked at her sharply and so did Tyler._

_"I don't know. You don't think she wouldn't come back do you?" Tyler asked._

_/\/\/\/\/\_

_"Oh come on! It's predictable!" she said trying to prove herself "That dumb chick is going to run upstairs."_

_Pogue watched the screen and like Kat said she ran upstairs. Soon enough both of them were laughing and calling out what would happen next and even started making up their own lines of what the people would say in the movie._

_Tyler and Reid came back from classes to see them laughing and carrying on. They both looked at the screen to see a man getting stabbed._

_"They've lost it." Tyler said._

_/\/\/\/\/\_

_"Ryan's gone. He just faded away." She said trying to breathe._

_"Are you sure?"_

_"I can't see him!" she sobbed._

_/\/\/\/\/\_

_"It's like staring at myself." Kat laughed._

_They were both wearing blue jeans with Tyler's jacket._

_"I do like this jacket." Whitney laughed._

_"You'd like the one I got it off of even more." Kat winked._

_"I bet. Since when do you live with boys anyway? Mom would be shocked."_

_/\/\/\/\/\_

_"So, did Caleb leave?" Kat asked._

_"Yeah, he has to go get Sarah from Harvard." Tyler replied._

_"Good. I can't wait to meet her." Kat said. Her eyes were beaming._

_/\/\/\/\/\_

_"So, you and my sister?" Whitney said while they sat at the bar. Her finger traced the rim of the glass she drank from._

_"No." he said._

_"No?" Whitney said feeling shocked. "No."_

_The word wasn't sinking in._

_"No, that's not a good answer." She finally said._

_"I don't care. That's the answer you get. We're only friends…she and I."_

Reid didn't want to be her friend. He never did. He kissed her forehead as he thought about the times since their meeting. He caressed her cold cheek. The sky overhead rumbled with thunder which was followed by a sudden hard downpour.

"Katherine." He sobbed being soaked by the rain.

Caleb watched Reid break. It was unrecognizable.

Tyler's head fell into his own hands. He couldn't fix her this time. She was lifeless. Chase gave her something she couldn't take.

But that happens right? There's always that one person who you can't save.

**Everything in italics is flashbacks from nearly every chapter thus far, remembering everything they'd lived through. The theme for the chapter was Yellow by Coldplay. **

**Be kind, Review.**


	38. Careful What You Wish For

**5 Months Later…**

"How are classes?"

"Good. What about you?"

"Okay. This Short Fiction class I'm taking is interesting." Qwerty smiled as her fingers laced with his.

"I can't believe we're junior now. It's a bit unreal."

"What's that mean?" Tyler chuckled.

"I thought I would've dropped out by now." Qwerty said as her head tilted to the side thinking about it.

"Nice." Tyler said smirking. Qwerty shrugged.

"I'll see you later." She said then pecked him on the lips quickly. "Tell the boys and Whitney I said hey."

The last few months had been hard to deal with for all of them. First Ryan then Kat. Nobody was the same, but they moved on or at least some of them did. Pogue went back

"Hey." Reid greeted solemnly. "I know it's been awhile. Sorry. Turns out that I magically passed sophomore year and am a junior this year."

There was no quip. He expected some sort of joke on his smarts. There was only silence as he stared at the gravestone. A little stone cherub sat on top of it looking down at the stone lovingly.

**Katherine Pandora**

**October 8****th**** 1993-May 2****nd**** 2012**

**At the bottom of the box was her. **

Reid touched the letters. He thought that this time he'd be able to be strong this time, but his eyes watered disagreeing with him. He licked his dry lips and looked down at the ground. The sky overhead got cloudy quickly.

"I should go. I have work in a few hours. I miss you." He mumbled. Getting to his feet, he walked off. The heavy feeling in his heart were still there. They didn't leave like everybody said they would. They lingered and made him feel dead too.

* * *

><p>"Have you seen Reid?" Caleb asked as Tyler settled on the couch.<p>

"No." Caleb sighed heavily. With that answer he easily knew where he was.

They didn't talk about it much. When the subject had a way of coming up they'd start up a new subject and Reid would storm off with his hand balled into fists.

"How are classes?"

"Classes." Tyler answered. "I don't know. Business isn't that exciting."

"Hey." Both young men turned seeing Whitney coming down the stairs. She smiled lightly at the two and sat down beside Caleb.

"How's Sara?" she asked.

"She doing fine. Harvard is good to her."

"Why don't you go?" Whitney asked.

Caleb caught himself quickly. He opened his mouth almost ready to call her by her sister's name and tell her that he'd already told her why. That this is just the place he ended up in.

"Friends are here." He replied. Whitney nodded the laid her head on his shoulder. She thought about Kat often her things had been given to Whitney. She got rid of half of it because she couldn't stand to be around Kat that much. She loved her sister and always would, but it was a lot to take. Thinking about her every day, hour, minute, second. Whitney kept the mirror of the vanity across the room covered. Looking at her reflection was hard because she didn't see herself.

It was until well into the evening that Reid came home. He didn't say hello, he just went upstairs to his room. Tyler, Caleb, Qwerty and Whitney ate in silence.

"It's been five months." Qwerty said.

"I'll go talk to him." Whitney volunteered. "He hasn't really talked to anyone. He's been all focused on work and sturdies."

"Whit, I don't know if that's such a good idea." Tyler said.

"Someone has to." She said and got up from the table. Tyler sighed heavily. Everyone knew this wouldn't end well, but there was no point in stopping her. She had her mind set.

"Reid?" Whitney opened his door a little and peeked in.

"What's up?" he asked. He was lying down on his bed.

"I was just wondering how long you'll be alienating the world." Whitney said point blank. She stepped halfway into the room. It was dark, the only thing illuminating it was his desk lamp. Reid smirked and sat up swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. He didn't say anything. "You can't keep doing this to yourself. They're gone. You guys tried everything you could."

"We shouldn't have let her move in here." Whitney looked at him flaberghasted.

"You never would've met her and you probably would still be cursed! Would you rather that you never met her?" Whitney asked.

"I don't know." He mumbled. "It would probably be better than the great big hole I feel in my chest."

Whitney felt her fingers itching to grab the closest object and throw it at him.

"She gave you things…I probably don't understand. She wasted her life away helping you and your friends and now you're wishing you'd never met her." She said coldly.

"None of this would've happened if she hadn't!" he exclaimed getting to his feet.

"So you'd give away all of the good too?"

"You don't understand Kat!" he screamed looking at her. He shut his mouth tightly and turned away from her so she wouldn't see the regret in his eyes. Whitney's hand unclenched from the tight fist it was in from his outburst. "I'm sorry Whitney."

"I miss her too, you know. I just don't wish that I'd never known her. Otherwise I wouldn't be alive." Whitney said solemnly. She turned and walked out of his room and to hers instead.

She made her way over to the vanity table and sat down. Reaching up, she slowly pulled the cloth over the mirror down. Her reflection stared back at her just as sorrow filled. She opened the top drawer and pulled out a white candle and a lighter. Setting it in front of her, she lit it and looked at her reflection.

"I miss you." She mumbled staring at her reflection. "I wish you were here, I'd switch places with you in a heartbeat sis."

She talked to her reflection a little more knowing little about the outsider listening and smiling on the inside.

"Careful what you wish for."

* * *

><p>A crack across the sky awoke her making her eyes shoot open and her heart beat erratically. She coughed hard, her throat hurting as she breathed in and out. The darkness she was engulfed in sent panic rushing through her veins.<p>

"Wh-where am I!?" she yelled. Reaching out in the darkness her hand hit something hard. She felt around. She was surrounded…blocked in. "Help!"

She struck out trying to get free of the prison she laid in. the air was thick making it hard to get free, but a crack gave her salvation. Then another hit above led to another crack. She closed her eyes quickly seeing the darkness cave in on her. Her only thought was to get free. Reaching through the cold dampness she crawled.

A hand touched the air muddy and wet. It pulled from the earth till she laid facing up to the dark sky which poured down on her. She sat up after calming her breathing.

"Where am I?" she cried. Long locks of her hair stuck to her face. Looking up, she gasped and fell backwards unable to understand what she saw. "No."

**Katherine Pandora**

**October 8th 1993-May 2nd 2012**

**At the bottom of the box was her.**

She touched it and shivered in horror. She was dead…

"No, not possible." She mumbled.

She stumbled to her feet and took off the high heels. Throwing them aside, she turned around and ran between headstones trying to get out. When she made it to the gate she stopped and bent over trying to breath. The black dress she wore was soaked from the rain. Mud was smeared on her from head to toe.

"Where am I?" she whimpered. She looked back briefly before walking out of the cemetery. She walked along the sidewalk holding herself as the night chill swept over her. There was nobody around. From the looks of it she was on a college campus. She swallowed hard.

* * *

><p>"Whitney are you okay?"<p>

Whitney clutched the toilet bowl for dear life as she wretched in it again. Caleb opened the door and knelt down beside her. She'd gone paler than a ghost. He rubbed her back soothingly.

"I don't' know what's wrong." She said once she got the chance to breath. "I was mumbling to myself about wishing ot have her back and now I feel sick."

"You can't hold on. It'll do this to you."

"She gave her life for me." Whitney said, tears brimmed her eyes making them glisten. Then all of the sudden they glazed over and she swayed a little.

"Whitney?"

"On a sidewalk." She mumbled. "Why? Oh god. No. it couldn't' be. How can this be?"

"What?" Caleb said confused. Whitney reached out and grabbed his forearm. Her nails dug into the skin. Small red droplets formed around her nails. "Whitney."

"What's happening?" her voice trembled. She let go instantly and stood then. "Everything is so muddy."

Caleb followed her as she rushed out of the bathroom and made her way towards the stairs. He caught halfway down as she nearly fell. She let go when they made it to the bottom. Qwerty and Tyler had retreated to Tyler's room.

Whitney swung open the front door and bolted outside not bothering with shoes. She ignored the cold shivers brought on by the wet ground and drizzling. Caleb followed her as she darted down the sidewalk. She ran trying to get to where she was seeing before her eyes.

She and Caleb ran around the next corner and Whitney was knocked off her feet having collided with somebody. She shook her head and looked up at Caleb who was looking stunned at the person she'd run into. Whitney directed her attention to where he stared. Her mouth hung open agape instantly.

"Whitney? Is that you?" Whitney sat there frozen as her identical reflection scrambled over to her and squeezed her tightly.

"Kat." Caleb mumbled. She looked up at Caleb with a confused look.

"Do I know you? Are you dating my sister?

* * *

><p><strong>The saying on Kat's tombstone might sound funky. It's known that at the bottom of Pandora's box was hope. That's why i wrote that. I hope it makes a bit more sense if it didn't before. Seems like things are heating up again for the group. Review?<strong>


	39. Wishmaster

**It's been a long freaking time and I think it's time to update. So, here it is, a lot of intense moments along with a head turner. There is one mysterious 'being' in here and the character is confusing then good, she's meant to be. **

**Thank you reviewers, followers and favoriters. I love knowing that people enjoy the story. More to come soon.**

* * *

><p>Caleb saw it when they made eye contact instantly. Her eyes were black. The kind of black that was unnatural.<p>

Whitney just held Kat and cried. She didn't care that it was pouring outside and Kat was covered in dirt and mud. Kat wore a confused terrified look.

"Whitney, who is that?" Kat asked. She backed away from Caleb, her hand on Whitney's wrist protectively. The instinct to run was obvious to them.

"Relax, he's a friend okay?" Whitney said. Kat looked at Caleb skeptically. Her eyes shifted black to brown then black to brown.

She has no idea, he thought to himself. Inside, this girl harbored more power than she could imagine. Power she wasn't supposed to have that was the reason for her death and yet, she had no idea about any of it. She held no memory.

* * *

><p>She watched them take the undead girl inside. The confusion she held made her smile.<p>

"You have no idea what you contain and when you find out…It will be fun to watch you tear the world apart. Just two to go." Pushing off of the street lamp she leaned against, she turned and started towards campus.

For years, college students here dwelled miserably in this crappy school. When they wished for something college lacked she came through. Well, mostly, the wishes she granted were unknown and came true under interesting circumstances. She could remember one of the students, a small girl, quiet and frail wished to be in a better place. Her wish was granted. The next morning she committed suicide. Her roommate found her in the bathroom sitting in the bath tub filled with blood. That better place just couldn't be found her on this plane so she was sent to another one. Whether it was better was that girl's opinion.

"I think, I will see what else I can get out of them. I'm sure the blonde one will have one." She mumbled as she continued walking. The rain slowed to a drizzle.

Being a genie, not all of it was bad. You go to live forever, cause pain, give people their deepest desires and watch them pay the price for it. It was sweet tasting to have that for all eternity.

"I've been waiting for a girl like you…." She sang. Rock music always seemed to get to the point, she thought.

* * *

><p>"Caleb! Tyler ate the last of the-" Reid froze in the doorway between the kitchen and living room, his heart picked up its pace. Caleb closed the front and stared at the bleach blonde blank of emotion. Trying to say or explain anything was too hard for Caleb so he said nothing.<p>

Reid looked at Kat, his jaw clenched. She wasn't real. She couldn't be. He'd seen her grave earlier today. Now, she stood there, water dripping from her small frame. Her eyes were wide and scared as she looked back at him.

"Whitney, I don't know about this. This place seems sketchy." She said.

"It's not, I promise. I've been living here for a while and we're safer here than we'd ever be with dad."

"If mom knew you were living boys she'd be shocked." Kat mumbled.

"Let's get you cleaned up." Whitney guided her up the stairs.

"What did you do!? You said we couldn't' bring her back!" Reid yelled the instant the girls were all the way upstairs.

"I didn't do it!" Caleb answered defensively. Reid breathed heavily unable to contain everything within. "She doesn't even remember us."

"What?" Reid asked incredulously. He shook his head. It was hard enough seeing her here, but not knowing…

The front door opened and in walked Tyler. He observed being Caleb disheveled and wet and Reid furious to the point of a near breakdown.

"What's wrong?" Tyler asked. His muscles went stiff.

"Kat…" Caleb started. Reid stood up and walked out of the room back to the kitchen. The back door slammed acknowledging everyone that he'd left. Tyler's eyebrows rose wanting to know what was going on. "Kat's alive."

* * *

><p>"You haven't brushed my hair since we were kids." Kat commented as she held her knees to her chest.<p>

"It's gotten long." Whitney mumbled. She threaded her fingers through after each time she pulled the brush through.

"Whitney-was-was I dead?" Kat asked. She wanted to know, but she didn't. Knowing seemed like a bad idea. Whitney's hand stopped in mid motion.

Kat looked over her shoulder, her eyes soft as she looked at her for the answer. Whitney's heart began to pound. How do you say yes? She thought about her own resurrection. That was an accident. This was different. Nobody had brought her back. She just came back. It was as mysterious as it looked.

Still, there was an answer to be had. What would it be?

"Yes." Whitney replied quietly. She set the brush aside then put her arms around her twin. Tears formed making her sniffle. "Yes, I'm so sorry!"

Kat sat there void of any feeling. The word yes circulated her head.

"Oh." She managed after a few minutes. Reaching up, she rubbed her sister's arm. Why wasn't this bothering her so much? Any normal person would be freaking out. People don't just come back from the dead whenever they feel like it. "I'm tired."

Kat turned and laid down on her side away from Whitney. She wasn't tired at all though. Whitney turned out the light. Kat stared out into the darkness of the room. She had been dead. The last thing she remembered was coming home from school with a bloody lip. She had gotten into another fight.

The whole night, she didn't sleep. She looked at the ceiling mostly.

In the morning she crept downstairs quietly. There was nobody in the living room. Before going into the kitchen she looked at the couch. Instantly she decided that she liked it. It was nice. It made her feel like she was actually home, her home, a home she belonged to. The strange thing about it was that she'd never been here. This place felt more like home than her actual home ever felt like home.

Kat jumped startled as the door opened and Reid can bumbling in. He gripped the island counter for balance and just stared at Kat.

"I-I don't understand." He mumbled drunkenly. Kat shifted uncomfortably. Please don't come near me, she thought.

Reid shook his head and walked towards her. Reaching out to touch her, to know that she was real, Kat grabbed his hand and twisted it then yanked him forward sending him against the refrigerator. He let out a pained groan as his nose made contact with the fridge door. Kat twisted his wrist even more hearing a crunch, her eyes widening at what she was doing. She let go right after and stared at him, her mouth slightly open with her hands hovering over as if to hide the terror of suddenly hurting him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't-" she stuttered backing away. "I'm sorry." Turning, she ran out of the kitchen forgetting why she came downstairs. Reid stared after her as he rubbed his wrist and twisted it making the breakage of his bones heal. It hurt like hell, but it was better than having to go to the hospital. Caleb didn't need to know.

"How the hell did you do that?" Reid said mostly to himself as he looked at his hand in a daze. He knew she had strength, but she didn't have that girl that he ever knew short of Carly back at Spenser had that strength and it was later figured out that she was on steroids.

* * *

><p>At breakfast Kat avoided Reid's looks from across the table. She shoved her eggs around her plate.<p>

"You should eat." Whitney told her. Kat continued to shove food around ignoring her. It wasn't on purpose, she was stuck in her own thoughts half of which revolved around last night. She didn't mean to hurt him, it was a defense mechanism.

Setting down her fork, Kat pushed her chair back and got up.

"I think I'll go for a walk. I'm not all that hungry." She said timidly. The chairs skidded back loudly as everyone rose.

"You shouldn't go alone." Whitney said.

"I'll go with you." Tyler offered quickly before anyone else could. Kat stared up at him blankly and strangely intimidated by his sheepish smile attempt.

"Um, okay." She walked out of the room and suddenly Tyler received a smack to the back of the head and a fork thrown at him.

"Ow!" he hissed glaring at both of his friends. Whitney just shook her head. "What? You want Reid to go with her?"

Caleb didn't answer, but he still wasn't pleased that Tyler weaseled his way in like that. Tyler shrugged not really caring and followed in the direction Kat went to the living room.

"I don't know who's this is," Kat said as she was pulling out her long hair from being tucked in Tyler's jacket. "but I'm using it."

He smirked.

"Go ahead." He wanted to tell her that she had jacked it a long time ago and kept it. It was basically hers.

He opened the door and let her walk out first. They walked across the street towards campus.

"So are you thinking about applying?" Tyler asked her. He tucked his hands in his pockets.

"No." she replied evenly. "I'm leaving soon actually. After Whitney is reassured that I'm okay I'm going to go. I know she's safe with you. I can feel it. Trust me when I say that I will kill you if something does happen to her. I don't usually leave her with anybody." The last part came out dark and made the hairs on Tyler's arms raise. He gulped uneasily knowing she would.

"Okay." It was an unemotional answer. How else was he to respond? She said she was leaving and it sounded like she didn't even care.

"Okay." She said after him. "I trust you the most, you know, so far. You don't talk too much and intimidate me..

"Oh."

"Look out for her since I can't do it."

"Why not?"

"I found out why I don't have many memories." She paused. It felt lodged in her throat. "I was dead. Actually, dead. It's weird."

Tyler's breath grew shallow instantly. She knew. What else did she know?

"Do you know how?"

"I didn't ask. It makes me wonder about everything else that would lead up to it and too be honest I don't want to know. It must've been really bad for me to end up in a grave because I promised myself that I would never end up six feet under willingly. Never."

"Honestly?" Tyler said. Kat nodded wanting to hear what he had to say. "You don't need to feel uneasy with us. We're out to protect you. We always have been."

"I got that feeling." Kat smiled.

The two of them made their way to the little café, A La Coffee on campus and continued to talk. Tyler respected that she didn't want to know everything so he asked her about what she planned to do after leaving. The two were even able to share a laugh or two and that shocked both of them. Kat hadn't smiled nor laughed since she arrived back at the house.

"I know you don't want to remember, but I wish you would. You're an amazing woman." Tyler said affectionately. Kat sat across from him and stared down intently at her coffee cup. What was she to say? I'm scared to know how I died and why? Yeah, that seemed to be it.

A table over, she sat there with a book in her hand. A smile perched on her lips that gave away her intentions. One to go, she thought to herself.

* * *

><p>"What!?" Qwerty screamed following her flared anger with a loud slap across Reid's face. Caleb stepped back so as not to be the next one to receive a hit. Reid looked up at her, his eyes reflecting his mood lately, hatred. It was a hatred of everything really.<p>

"Qwerty, we don't know how she is back."

"The girl is the walking dead!" Qwerty yelled. "We should've known this would happen! We should've been there!" tears welled up in her eyes. Reid's eyes feel into their striking blues seeing her struggle. She wiped her eyes and sniffled.

"Qwerty-"

"Don't." she growled harshly.

"She doesn't remember you or us." Caleb said anyways, his voice soft and understanding. Qwerty gaped in horror.

"You're kidding." She looked at Reid. He hung his head unable to look at her. He hated it too. "Fuck all of you and your witchy shit." She stormed out of the house leaving the front door open in the process.

"Ex girlfriend?" Everyone looked up to see Kat and Tyler who walked in past her.

"No." Tyler replied. "My girlfriend. I'll go see what's wrong."

He already knew, but to keep up pretenses he went anyway. Kat nodded feeling awkward. Reid, Caleb and Whitney just stared at her.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing, uh how about we watch a movie?" Whitney suggested.

"That sounds good." Caleb chimed in.

"Yup." Reid agreed. "But some of us have classes so you three have fun." His tone was cruel and made Kat hang her head. She fidgeted with her fingers while he rushed past her and up the stairs. He was back downstairs within seconds with his rugged bookbag over his shoulder. He shoved past her and out the door without as much as a glance towards her.

Kat remained silent knowing that she probably didn't deserve his attention after what she had done to his arm the last night. When she thought about it, she heard it break. The sound was very distinct and made her stomach repulse. Yet he had perfect mobility of it now. She dismissed it. It was better that way.

"Kat?" she looked up and saw that Caleb and Whitney had already settled on the couch.

"Sorry." She mumbled and joined them. Through the entire movie she kept thinking about him. Some thoughts were pleasant, very pleasant and others were not. It was confusing that she would have either set of thoughts since she didn't know him.

* * *

><p>She laid in bed. Sleep hadn't found her yet and made her restless. Kat looked over at her sister in the dark. Slowly she searched out her hand and held it. Closing her eyes, she easily fell asleep.<p>

"_Hey." Kat sat up. Whitney was gone and Reid stood at the door. _It was still dark outside._ He resembled that like a shadow. _

"_Where's Whitney?" she asked. She pulled her knees to her chest. For some reason she was scared of him, but it wasn't because she thought he would hurt her. no, this was a different type of feeling that made her chest tighten and her heart beat rapidly, an animistic feeling._

_For what felt like hours, he just stood near her door not moving. He could see that she was nervous by the way she clenched her blankets with her fist. More than anything he wanted to console her, hold her, hug her, kiss her, love her, stay with her. None of those things were possible with her not remembering._

"_I'm not going to hurt you." He said. The offensive hurt in his voice made Kat's stomach pang. _

"_I think…I know. I know you wouldn't, but I feel some sort of something. I don't know." Kat said shaking her head. It hurt her head trying to think about it. _

_Reid crossed the room and sat beside her. He didn't sit too close in fear that she'd run away, but close enough that she was within reaching distance. _

"_Kat, if you knew-"_

"_I don't want to." Her eyes watered now and even in the dark he could see them threaten to spill down her cheeks. "I know it's bad so I don't want to know!"_

_Reid grabbed her face with both hands which made her shiver. She didn't fight him, but embellished in his touch. there was safety in it somehow. The tears held in her eyes fell down her cheeks and slid past his fingers._

"_If you knew, not all of it is bad." He breathed. His face moved closer to hers until his forehead touched hers. She sobbed silently. _

"_I know. I know, but I don't want to." _

"_Why?"_

"_Because I think I know why you're mad at me. I can feel it." she said, her eyebrows knitting together with realization. Their noses brushed together lightly. Kat closed her eyes. She couldn't continue to stare into those blue eyes that wanted her so much. She just couldn't. It was too much and she wasn't sure what she was feeling. _The emotions flooding didn't feel like they were hers. She could never have such strong emotions for this type, but he was soft and caring and he was pulling her in. __

"_I'm-"_

"_In love with you." She breathed finishing his sentence. _

_Reid watched her shudder from saying it. His hands didn't move from his hold on her. He wiped away the second wave of tears with his thumbs._

"_But, I don't think it's right." She added after sucking in a breath. Reid shook his head._

"_It was never right for us." He said. She could feel his cool breath on her lips. It made her feel weak. She could melt into him and even though it didn't feel right, she wouldn't have minded. _

_As if reading her mind, Reid closed the extremely small space between their lips and kissed her. Kat gasped from the surge of electricity moving between them. The kiss intensified quickly. Reid pulled onto his lap, his hand on her hips. His lips parted from if only for a second to breathe then he kissed her again. It felt like her not the shell that had dug its way out of that grave._

"_Reid," she whispered between kisses. He pulled away and looked at her. Still, she cried. "Reid, I remember…it won't go away! He killed me!"_

_He pulled her against his chest to soothe her. Her body shook heavily with dread._

"_Oh god."_

"_He put something into me too. I can feel it crawling through my veins." Reid froze. No, he thought, no, she couldn't. "It's dark."_

_She had power. Chase still succeeded in his mission._

_Kat clenched his shirt in her hands tightly praying that he'd never let go. She didn't want him to go. A part of her felt relaxed as she felt his fingers thread through her hair. There was an energy between them, that was it. It all flowed perfectly together now and she didn't need that worry in the back of her mind telling her that he was dangerous. She was dangerous now too._

"_I've missed you so much." She said. His hand moved from her hair to caress down along her ear to her jawline. He tilted her face up so that he could see her dark eyes. And they were dark, they weren't even the chocolate brown that he knew. They were black. _

"_No." he said petrified. She cried harder. Reid kissed her again now crying as well. The kiss was wet and filled with sorrow mixed in with happiness. His hand moved back into her messy hair and gripped it tightly. _

_Kat shoved him on the bed so that he was on his back looking up at her. Once again he was scared to be with her in this position. Her eyes filled tears were filled with a new emotion. Her eyes remained black and she wanted him._

"_Kat this isn't a good idea, to go this far."_

"_We've done it before." She grinned seductively._

"_Kat-"_

"_You don't want me?" she asked sounding hurt. _

"_It's not that. But you need to wake up, you have a lot to deal with right now." he said. For the first time in weeks he thought about Ryan. _

"_I'm fine." Then he whispered it._

"_Ryan." he didn't look at her. _

"_No." she growled. She got off of his lap and stomped to the other side of the room. She couldn't be near him if this was what he wanted to talk about. That was one memory she didn't want to think about. How could he even say that name! Ryan wasn't here! Ryan was never coming back! Never!_

"_Kat, you have to know."_

"_I know! I saw it! He forced me to watch! I saw everything!" she screamed. The room shook violently all of the sudden. The lust filled moment was gone and replaced with unbearable pain and rage._

"_I-"_

Kat shot up in bed and grabbed her stomach. It cramped with pain as if being pulled at.

"Whitney, what the hell?" she grumbled.

Kat gasped next as she looked over at her sister. Whitney shook beside her uncontrollably. Her skin was pale and cold. Kat grabbed a hold of her trying to stead her.

"Caleb!" she screamed as she tried to hold her. "Oh no."

"Katherine." Whitney said as she crumbled. "I'm sorry."

"Don't you be sorry okay? I'm going to take care of you like I promised. You'll be okay."

"I don't think so. I'm not feeling too good." Her skin started to turn into what looked like ash. KAt tried to caress her cheek caringly but it rubbed off and showed the dead muscle tissue underneath.

"No…not again." she cried. "I can't lose you."

"You remember…"

"Yes." Kat nodded. "Caleb!"

The door busted open and Caleb rushed in with Reid in tow. Kat ignored the looks Reid gave her.

"Help me." She pleaded with the men as they stared at the twins. Kat could feel Whitney's bones crunch under the light pressure of her hold. She was dwindling away. "No!"

Whitney's eyes grew grey and cloudy until they had cataracts.

"Kath-" Whitney didn't finish. Her voice was raspy. Kat looked up at the men.

"Do something!" she screamed. The room shook violently like from her dream. Caleb looked around startled then back at her helplessly. His eyes changed instantly and concentrating as hard as he could he tried to reverse the effects. He was flung backwards into the wall making it cave in as if whatever was being done to Whitney backlashed. Kat gasped unable to make any words come out. She looked down at her sister. Her skin sunk into her body in places and was broken so you could see the bone in others. She was decomposing.

"Whit-"

"It-it's okay. I got-m-my wish." Whitney's voice crackled.

"Stay with me. I'll fix this." Kat closed her eyes and that crawling feeling inside melded to every nook and cranny of her being, syncing to her. It flowed more freely as she accepted it. She didn't want to, but there was too much at stake, her sister. Her eyes shot open and her nails dug into the fragility of Whitney. Her head became dizzy as she gave Whitney whatever she could. Whitney's skin gained a little color, but then her whole body collapsed into ash all over Kat and the bed.

Kat stared down at the remains of Whitney. Breathing had stopped altogether. Tyler was helping Caleb who grunted as he stood. The three men stared at Kat. She just looked down at her lap. It seemed surreal.

"She wished…what did she mean?" the question was cold. No one answered. "What did she mean!?"

They each flinched as if being hit.

"She wished…" Kat trailed off. Her voice was darker, hurt, angry. None of them short of Reid could believe what they saw when she looked at them. Her eyes were black, filled with hatred. She kept losing people that meant everything to her. There was no end or so it felt.

"Kat-we don't know. What's wrong with you?"

"Chase gave it to her." Reid mumbled. Every part of Chase holding her and willing her his power flashed through his head. Every night he watched it happen in his dreams. Caleb and Tyler looked at him. He just stared down at the floor knowing full well what was wrong.

"Wrong with me?" she laughed. It sent chills down Caleb's spine. Chase succeeded. He gave her everything and with the look in her eyes she was angry with nothing to take it out on. "Oh, I feel great. I feel…amazing."

She scooted off of the bed. The remains that hung on her clothing fell to the floor. She looked at them each separately then glided past them to the bathroom. Tyler stared at the bed, tears forming in his eyes.

"We keep losing." He whispered.

* * *

><p>Kat sat in the tub letting her body soak. Steam rose up from the water. Little drops of water floated up from the tub and Kat watched them entertained.<p>

"I see the wishes have come true."

Kat turned her head slowly and saw a young woman leaning against the door. She arched her eyebrows at the visitor. Shock was long gone out of her system. Nothing could do the trick anymore, not after everything. She was just numb. She lost Ryan, Whitney, and now herself. She was a freak and it was all Chase's fault.

"So, my dead sister was right." Kat said. "There was a wish."

"Indeed." Kat took in the stranger's appearance. She looked like the average college student, but there was a vibe. The woman felt ancient. "I could help myself. Bring back somebody who could destroy the world? I would pay to see that."

"You took her away. That rather pisses me off." Kat put strong emphasis on each word. She made no intention to get out of the bath. It was too cozy.

"Tear." It was sarcastic as was her facial expression. Kat remained unphased.

"I'm going to kill you, you know." Kat said.

"Good luck, I'm eternal."

"Nothing's eternal." Their talking sounded so general like it was normal to talk about dying and killing.

"Well, I am."

_Wish…hmmm. I wonder if I could make my own._

"The baby one of the group did the most damage if you ask me. Start with him. He did wish you to remember everything."

"You sound like a fucking genie, a cursed one anyway." Kat snapped. She shifted a little bit in the water then after a few minutes she pulled the plug out of the water. The little droplets that had been floating around her fell and the water drained down the tub. Kat stood gracefully and grabbed the dark blue towel from the rack and wrapped it around herself.

The mysterious one only smiled confirming Kat's new suspicions. She nodded and stepped towards her. Kat reached past her and turned the door knob and walked into the room that was once hers and then became Ryan's and then Whitney's after his death. Caleb, Reid, and Tyler still stood there flabbergasted having not left.

Kat paid no mind. She walked over to the dressers and opened them looking for clothes. She settled with black jeans, a dark blue tank top with a black baby doll t-shirt over top. Grabbing the chosen articles, she walked out of the room grabbing Tyler's old jacket that she claimed along with a set of high heel boots.

After getting dressed, she went downstairs and settled on the couch. She took up the remote and started flipping through the channels on the tv. Nothing was on except for boring infomercials.

_I'm so borrrreeed._

Caleb and the others followed her and watched her confused.

"She's acting like nothing happened." Tyler said, his voice shaky from the trauma.

"I can hear you." Kat said flatly without looking at them. She tossed the remote aside and started flipping through the channels telepathically. _This is so much easier and more fun. I can't wait to find out what else I'm capable of. _"What else am I supposed to do? People die. That's life."

"Life!?" Reid exclaimed from behind Caleb.

"Exactly." She replied evenly. "What am I going to do about it?" she paused for a moment and even the channels switching stopped.

"Wait, I got it." Kat was up on her feet quickly and then pacing. "Hello?"

Tyler and Caleb exchanged looks. Had she lost her mind? Had the power that Chase gave her made her crazy because it certainly changed her now that she had her memories back? Then again, it would change anybody who lost multiple people. It was a lot of power with no limit on use.

"Hey! I know that you're lurking around and that you had something to do with me and all of the mojo. Come here, now!" Kat waited a few seconds. The impatient tapping of her foot was the only sound being made

"Wow, I'm not a dog, you know." Kat and the others turned their heads in the opposite direction to see a woman looking over her nails. "Hello boys."

She smiled at them wickedly, her blonde hair shaping her face, her eyes a vivid. Kat made her way towards the young woman while tucking her hands behind her back. Caleb exchanged confused looks with Tyler.

"What's going on?" Tyler asked uneasily.

"Oh, I'm just doing what this little thing asked me to do." Kat smirked darkly. She stopped a few feet away from the woman and played with one of her strands of hair, twirling it around her finger.

"That final wish?" she asked. Her eyes lit up eagerly.

"Mhm." Kat just continued to play with her hair. "I wish you were free."

The woman's eyes widened feeling mortified. She slapped her hand away and Kat just smiled. Kat watched her look at her wrists and noticed tattoos circled her wrists that she hadn't noticed before. They were disappearing now.

"You bitch!" she spat at Kat. Kat's eyes flooded black and in the hand that still remained behind her back a large kitchen knife appeared. Moving with haste, she stuck it in the woman and twisted.

Caleb, Tyler and Reid watched her. To them it was all in slow motion. The disbelief of Kat having done such a dreadful, terrifying thing shocked them to the core. She twisted the blade in the woman's gut whose face contorted painfully. Tyler touched his own abdomen feeling like she stabbed him too. Caleb stopped Reid who moved to dart forward and stop her from doing further damage. He looked at Caleb incredulously. Caleb wasn't ready to chance Reid being next, so he didn't let go of his blonde friend no matter how much he still loved her.

"This won't fix anything." The woman said convulsing as blood started dripping from the corners of her mouth. "It won't bring them back."

Kat twisted it more, her eyes cold, hard and black.

"You don't get to talk about them." Kat growled viciously "You didn't know them."

Kat pulled out the blade then and watched her fall to the ground. For some reason she felt nothing. She knew there was something wrong with not feeling anything after killing a person. It didn't matter, this wasn't a normal person.

Kat stared down at the woman as blood pooled around her shoes. Turning around, she looked at the men, the knife remaining in her hand. Her eyes faded to deep chocolate brown and she exhaled deeply.

"What have you done?" Tyler spoke first. Kat looked at each of them taking in the alarmed looks. A laugh erupted into the room making her flinch. It was a laugh that expressed hilarity as if the situation was funny and after a minute she realized it was herself.

"What have I done? Have you seen the things each of you have done? What you've put people through?" she still laughed and her ribs began to ache. None of them replied.

The laughter died and Kat took a moment to regain her calm. She looked down at the knife as if admiring it.

"Remembering," she began "it was like living through it all over again. You should've left me to forget, hell, you should've left me dead. I was better off that way."

"Don't say that." Reid said. Kat looked up at him. A smirk slowly spread across her face.

"Why? Because you're sooooo in love with me?" she said cynically "Well, I lost the person I loved. I lost both of them and where you all of you! You didn't save them! You have all of this power and you didn't save them!"

The house shook as if an earthquake took hold. Tyler leaned back on a wall, Reid held out his arms trying to stay balance as did Caleb. Eye contact was made with Caleb and Kat. Her eyes bored into him with a burning fury.

"You didn't save them." she repeated, but in a low tone. Her stare moved to the floor and the house quit shaking. They watched her get sunk into her thoughts then jumped when her head shot up and looked at them as if a light bulb went off in her head. "Let's see if you can save your other friends."

She flipped the knife in her hand and threw it at the three of them. The weapon split into three different knives. Reid ducked to the ground and the knife meant for him thudded as it was imbedded into the front door. Caleb looked back at the knife stuck in the seat of the couch and glanced at Tyler who stared at his own which nearly hit him in the leg.

"I think she's defriended us." Reid commented. Tyler and Caleb looked over at him both with a simultaneous thought

_Dumbass._

* * *

><p>"Go away." Kat hissed as she walked down the sidewalk towards town.<p>

"Oh, I'm not going anywhere."

She rolled her eyes.

"I'm in here." She felt a few hard taps to her temple by a finger a swatted it away. "There's no way you can get rid of me."

She stopped and turned so that she was now face to face with what she only guess was her conscience. Chase Collins smiled a big Cheshire cat grin.

"It's not like I can do anything to you. I'm just here to persuade you and help and let you know that a part of me will forever be in you. Isn't that sweet?" Kat didn't respond so he continued. "Good. If you're going on this revenge-I'm-pissed-at-everything thing then you might was to start at a good place."

Kat nodded taking in his words.

Chase had been there ever since she regained her memories. All she could do was try to ignore him. it worked sometimes. Other times he made good points. She knew he was bad. He killed her boyfriend, but now he couldn't harm her. He couldn't do anything like that. He didn't even make attempts to do harm. He just talked. It was a little annoying, but nonetheless that was it. Kat didn't completely believe that he was all good as he had tried to tell her while she had attempted to act like he was a figment of her imagination. In the end, she accepted it. He was here and he was a guiding stone, the only one she had.

"Qwerty." Her words were determined. Chase smiled impressed.

Qwerty was her friend, key word 'was'. Now, she was in danger and it was only the covenant to blame. They'd done this because they'd done nothing.

_How did they think this would end?_

* * *

><p><strong>Feeling shocked at the new bad guy? Tell me in a review!<strong>


	40. Conquest

**It's been a while and I apologize. I've had a bit of writer's block.**

* * *

><p>Kat knocked on the door. A few seconds later it swung open, a gush of wind whiplashing around her. Qwerty stared at her blankly like she was dreaming. Tears welled up in her eyes and Kat just stared.<p>

_Dramatic much?_

Chase scratched his cheek bored. Rolling his eyes, he looked at Kat waiting for her to make her move.

"I always thought she was annoying." He commented.

"Kat," Qwerty said breathlessly. She engulfed her in a hug quickly. An awkward look covered Kat's face as she attempted to hug her back. Qwerty let go and Kat just smiled the best she could. This was her friend. She had to remind herself of this. "come in, please."

She was so enthusiastic. Last time she died it was a little different. She freaked out at seeing her alive and well. Kat was better than alive now. She had something People wrote about in fantasy novels, something that was put into movies, something that could obliterate everything.

_I've been in the ground for too long_

Kat allowed her to usher her inside. She saw the phone on the wall across the small living room. As Qwerty kept on flapping her lips about how happy she was that Kat was alive she 'used' and disconnected the phone. Then Qwerty hugged her again. After letting go, she pulled he into the living room offering to get her a drink. Kat's fingers twitched as she declined.

_Sorry Qwerty._

* * *

><p>"Caleb! You don't understand, it's Qwerty!" Tyler yelled trying to get past him. "She doesn't know that she's in danger!"<p>

"She won't do anything. She's bluffing."

Reid watched Caleb try to control their friend. He'd never seen Tyler so worked up. Reid just remained where he was with his arms crossed over his chest unable to get the picture of Kat's face as she stabbed that ingrate bitch. There was so much fury and hatred. It sent chills down to his toes.

"How the hell would you know?" Tyler yelled.

"She's is luring us out for a fight! If you chase after her, you could end up dead. She's powerful. She has all Chase's power."

"And guess whose fault that is!" Tyler shoved Caleb hard. He flew back against the front door hard. "Everything that has led to this moment-"

"It's our fault. We let her in." Reid cut in, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared at the ground. "Let him go. We can lose more friends, no big deal. We should be experts with that by now."

"We really don't need the sarcasm right now." Caleb sighed.

"Let him go Caleb! He's bent on joining Ryan and Whitney!" Reid yelled. He dropped his arms to his sides, his hands clenched into tight fists.

"I'm bent on saving my girlfriend!" Tyler yelled. A dark silence filled the room. Tyler's anger didn't subside. He sat down on the couch and directed his glare to the floor. He didn't understand how things had gotten so messed up. College was supposed to be some of the best years of your life. So far, they had been the worst. Pogue was lucky that he wasn't here.

Hurting Kat, one his closest friends. That was hard to imagine. He'd brought her back the first time. Putting her in the grave-it made his his eyes swell up. Choosing between two people he loved just...sucked.

"We'll find her."

"I know. Reid, I know you don't want to hear it, but-"

"But what?" Reid knew where he was going with this.

"We're going to have to kill her."

"You don't even want to bring her back from this?" Reid exclaimed. His arms came uncrossed and he took a step towards him.

"How the hell do you propose that? She has power in her that isn't supposed to be there and it's more than any of have! She's alive when she's supposed to be dead! She killed somebody! There is no way to save her."

"Says you." Reid turned and walked out of the house ignoring Caleb's calls after him. Reid stuffed his hand in his hoodie pockets and made his way down the sidewalk. Everything that had happened in the last few days seemed so surreal. More than anything he wanted Whitney and Kat to jump out laughing saying that it was all a joke. The likelihood of that happening though was within the same realm of likelihood that Ryan would come back. Reid still remembered catching Tyler using a Ouija board almost a week after Ryan's funeral. He burned it then yelled at him for it. The funny thing about it was that he would've done the same thing not caring if it had brought an evil thing into the house.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Reid stopped walking and spun around. Every part of him felt frozen partly with fear. Kat lurked out from the shadows of a nearby oak tree.

"Is she dead?" he asked.

"Not at the moment." Kat smirked. "I thought I'd tease you. You like that kind of thing right?"

"Kat, this isn't right. Just stop." He said. The waxing moon lit up her facial features. Her eyes were soaked in the blackness of power. She was letting it engulf her. "Fight it. We'll help you."

"I don't need your help." She spat at him. She turned away and stared up at Chase. The power running through her veins felt good. She didn't want it to go away. If it went away then she'd have to deal with all of the pain and hurt and she didn't want to feel any of it.

"You're right. You don't need him. Kill him. He'd let you and you know it." Chase said. He looked past her and scowled at the blonde. "He's sooo in love. He would die for you."

Kat shook her head in disbelief and walked through him down the sidewalk. Reid followed her confused. One minute she looked ready to bring him to his knees and the next she was nearly running away. Kat glared at Chase as he glided alongside her. There was no peace and quiet for the wicked. All she wanted to do was throw a few threats at Reid, jab him a little and watch him bleed and that just got screwed up all thanks to her-conscience?

"Oh c'mon! Now is a great opportunity. He's the easiest one. Get rid of him first." Chase chastised. Kat grumbled incoherently.

_Actually, I might just take the strongest on first. Sarah might be able to help me with that too._

"Kat, stop for just a second!" Reid exclaimed. Reaching out, he grabbed her by the arm. She spun around at the sudden electric spark from his touch and flung him backwards effortlessly. He crashed down into the pavement leaving a horrendous trail or broken concrete. Sharp pains shot through his nerves making him feel broken. Looking up, he saw her eyes flicker with sympathy and change to their natural chocolaty brown then back to the blackness. Her lips twitched into a smirk. The power was feeding on her anger, hurt and pain.

"Don't try that again Garwin. This is as far as my mercy goes. Come at me again and I might take too much pleasure in killing you." Her voice was cynical. It was almost as if it wasn't her.

"I think I'm in love." Chase grinned proudly beside her.

"Katherine…" Reid breathed. "Don't, let us help you."

"Help me? You've done enough or can't you tell?" not bothering to wait for his pathetic response, she spun on her heel and walked into the night.

_Why did you come to me?_

Reid stared out into the dark night. He got up to his feet wincing in the process. Rubbing his shoulder, he groaned unpleasantly. _You play unfairly._

A sudden burst of multiple laughs made him jump. Across the street a group of girls, freshman more than likely, were giggling amongst themselves while walking. One girl wore a dark blue dress that stopped mid-thigh. The second one wore a top that was black and backless with white skinny jeans.

_Probably going out to a party. I haven't to one of those in a long while._

* * *

><p>"He's not answering." Caleb grumbled. He stuck his cell phone back in his pocket.<p>

Tyler sat on the couch, his hands clasped together. Guilt was starting engulf him from the overwhelming feeling that Reid could end up dead because of him. How many more people had to die?

"He's probably blowing off steam by getting drunk off his ass." Caleb said trying to make him feel better.

"What if Kat got to him? It is a possibility."

"Not likely. I know she wouldn't kill him." Caleb said.

"Really." Tyler gave him a sideways look.

"She loves him. She won't admit it, but she does."

"That may not be enough. Caleb do you realize what's happened?" Tyler said. Caleb was right. She did love Reid. Before she died, before she was with Ryan. Was it still there?

"I do." he said. Why couldn't anybody believe him? He looked out the front window strangely reminiscing about the first time he'd met Kat. She was stand-offish and almost harmless. It was almost because a year and a half later they had all found out about how she'd murdered her father. He especially remembered Cole. Chase confessed that he'd possessed that kid. He could've been totally innocent with a harmless crush and he was dead now too. Anybody that came into contact with the three of them ended up dead.

Pulling out his cell phone from his pocket he pressed number two on his speed dial. He sighed heavily as he heard it ring.

"Hey-" Caleb started when the call picked up.

"Sorry Caleb, you'll have to call back later. Sarah and I are in the middle of some serious girl time." Kat said cruelly.

"Where is she?" he growled.

"Sarah? She's great." Caleb heard Kat call over to Sarah and her reply with giddiness. "See? She's fine, for now anyway. I haven't quite decided how I want to kill them. There are just so many ways. Wait, I got it. I'll just rip their insides out. Sound familiar?"

The line went dead. Caleb kept it held there for an extra second, his face having gone pale. He looked over at Tyler who mumbled worries to himself.

"She has Sarah." He said. The phone fell from his hand to the floor making Tyler jump out of the trance he'd settled into.

* * *

><p>Kat handed the phone back to Sarah as she came back into the room with her toothpaste and toothbrush in hand. She gleamed happily as she put the items away.<p>

"Thanks for answering. I had my hands full."

"It's fine." Kat smiled sweetly as she handed her the phone. She looked around the college dorm.

"I'm so happy to see you, but I thought-"

"I was dead?" Kat said with a bit of laughter. "It happens."

Sarah looked at her skeptically. _How can you laugh about that? _Something was off. For one, Caleb didn't tell her about Kat being alive and well. She went to the funeral. She saw the casket get lowered into the ground. Reid had fallen to his knees. Tyler only stared at the ground no doubt silently crying. Pogue watched from a distance. She only figured that he couldn't handle seeing it. Caleb didn't speak for a week after all of it and Reid had immersed himself in his studies. Tyler had kept her updated. The service was quiet. Sarah wished that she hadn't had to meet Whitney under those circumstances. She saw everything. There was no way that her eyes betrayed her. Kat wasn't acting like herself either. Her smile was hiding something. Trying to place where she'd seen such a devious smile, she put her phone aside.

"Are you sure your roommate doesn't mind me using her bed?"

"I'm sure." Sarah put on her best smile.

"Thanks. It's nice to get away from guys for a while."

_Since when? You love them like brothers. Reid being the exception._

"I bet. Have you talked to Qwerty?"

"I went by her house, but she wasn't there."

_This is just too easy. Why bother playing with her?_

"When?" Sarah shifted uncomfortably and Kat took pleasure in it as she sat there. Everything is working out perfectly.

"Two hour ago." Sarah's face froze and she took a cautious step back.

"Kat, what's going on?" Kat got up out of the desk chair and looked at the pictures on her desk. She noted the picture from last year's spring break trip to Ipswich.

"You're not seriously thinking about them are you?" Kat's momentary distraction slipped from her fingers and she looked over at Chase. He was staring at Sarah while sitting on her roommate's bed. "Wow, could it be me or has she gotten more beautiful?"

"Shut up." Kat grounded out. Chase just cackled at her.

"Careful, not everybody can see me." He said wearing a cocky grin. He pointed at Sarah. Kat sighed irritated and looked at Sarah.

She stared at Kat enstranged and slowly made her way backwards for the door. Kat caught on quickly. With a quick flash of her eyes the door locked sealing them both in the room. Sarah exhaled shakily.

"What's going on?" she repeated.

"Nothing." Kat replied. Chase wiggled his eyebrows at her waiting for her to make her move. "I just hate to ruin a pretty girl like you. You really didn't do anything wrong. I just hate your boyfriend."


	41. Power Like You've Never Seen

**I realized that it has been a very long time. I apologize deeply. Having so many classes has kept me away. I hope you enjoy! thank you for the reviews and Favorites. You guys are great.**

* * *

><p>Kat looked down at her nails.<p>

"I need a manicure." She mumbled.

"You're thinking about doing your nails instead of killing them?" Chase scrutinized.

"No, well yes actually." She replied. "I've got time with those two. They're only half the fun."

She looked over at Qwerty and Sarah tied up to separate poles.

"Look, I know you wanted visit old memories-"

"I don't." The dark, cold warehouse they were in shook. Chase looked around the large open space wary. He knew the place well. He did unimaginable tortures to her here. Was that why she came back here?

"Okay-"

"Shut up. This is all your fault anyway."

"My fault!?" He scoffed.

"You killed-" she couldn't finish, her eyes flashed black then back to their soft brown.

"Who is she talking to?" Qwerty whispered to Sarah.

"I don't know. I hope Caleb finds us soon though."

"They won't be finding you at all." Kat cut in. She crossed her arms over her chest. "I may be new to the whole 'magic' scene, but I do have a Kat little birdy helping me. He's rather considerate to my feelings."

"Kat just let us go. We won't do anything just let us go and we can talk."

"Talk? I don't want to talk! I want action! Someone has to pay!" she screamed. The women could see Kat's eyes watering.

Kat glance over at Chase who leaned leisurely against a nearby pillar, a Cheshire grin spread across his face from ear to ear.

"Kat don't. Please." Qwerty pleaded.

In a nanosecond, Kat was across the room and had Qwerty by the throat. Her feet barely touched the ground. She gasped for air, whimpering. Sarah cried out beside them. Kat glared in her direction, her eyes changed. Sarah's voice cut out. She grabbed her throat and tried to scream, but no sound came out. Kat smirked and looked back up at Qwerty who struggled in her hand.

"Now we're getting somewhere!" Chase exclaimed.

"Why—are you—doing this?" Qwerty asked barely.

Kat brought her to eye level and slammed her back against the pole she was tied to.

"It's only fair to show them how I feel." Kat slammed her one more time and dropped her.

Qwerty coughed, holding her throat.

"Now," Kat looked around, "how about a fire? It's a little cold in here."

The girls looked at each more terrified than before. Kat just smiled at Chase.

"I know I'm feeling a little chilly."

Kat watched as the corners of the warehouse grew aflame.

"Now that's better." She said.

"Kat no! Don't do this!" Sarah screamed. "This isn't who you are!"

"This is exactly who I am! This is what they made me!"

The flames grew higher, more erratic

* * *

><p>"I can't find her. It's like they disappeared." Caleb sighed. He rubbed his temples as he felt a headache coming on.<p>

"Or Kat hid them." Pogue suggested.

"Where would they be?"

"Wait," Reid said holding his finger up, "We can send out some form of a locator spell-"

"We tried that genius." Tyler snapped.

"If you'd let me finish. We send out one in reverse."

The three guys looked at him confused.

"Just get a map of the area and I'll show you what I mean."

Caleb left the room and returned a few minutes later. He unfolded it a nd set it out on the coffee table.

"How do we do this?" Caleb asked anxiously.

"Shut up for starts." Reid looked at the map long and good. His eyes flashed and took afew steps back. Everyone held their breath as they watched the map raised from the table. Pogue who leaned on the doorframe that led into the living room stood up fully. It started on the outer edges; fire engulfed the map as Reid searched the town deep within his mind trying to figure out where Kat could be. The whole map burned except for one spot.

"It's an old warehouse on the other side of town. I drove past that place a lot when I stayed to work last summer." Reid said.

The piece floated down to the coffee table. Tyler snatched it up. His heart raced. There was hope.

"Looking for little ole me? You shouldn't have." The four men spun around, four pairs of pitch black eyes staring at Kat. The evil grin on her face spread. She looked over at her partner in crime.

"I think you've made a great impression." Chase said. His eyes were set on Caleb.

"Oh c'mon, admit it. You missed me."

"You bitch! Tell me where they are or else!" Tyler screamed, the veins on his arms and neck bulging with hatred.

He lunged at her. Her form turned to smoke and she vanished.

"Now now, if you kill me or try to anyway, you'll never find them. It might be too late already." She said pensively, her for finger on her chin.

"WHERE ARE THEY!" The entire house shook. Kat grabbed the bookcase that down to the cellar as a large crack ran on the ceiling down the wall and along the floor. Windows all around them busted, shards flying everywhere.

Kat brushed a few pieces that landed on her of and looked around the room at the destruction caused by the youngest son. It was quite impressive. She couldn't imagine what he'd do if he do if he knew that his girlfriend was burning alive right now. _At least he'll know a millimeter of the pain I feel._

"Tyler, I've never seen you so worked up. It's kind of hot." Kat winked. "If you must know though, they're exactly where Reid's little burnt piece of paper says. You might want to hurry. Well, that is if you want to save them from the hell I'm sending them to."

Before she could let out a laugh at her heinous acts, she was flung backwards into the wall by an invisible force. The wind was knocked out of her and she slid down to the ground. Another crack lined the wall with a large dent breaking into it where she had been thrown.

"Oh you're going to wish you didn't do that." She growled.

Chase looked down at her alarmed. He backed himself into a corner as if he were still alive and nervous of getting in the middle of the coming hurricane.

"Oh shit. The devil is unleashed." A look of awe covered his face as he watched Kat rise, her brown eyes lost to the power.

"Tyler get out of here now!" Reid yelled. His fists were clenched, but he hoped that he didn't have to use them on her. Some part of him clung to the hope that she was in there somewhere.

"I won't!"

"Go!" Caleb yelled. "Go with him Pogue."

Tyler looked at Kat one more time.

"They better be alive."

"I learned not to make promises since nobody else can keep them." She spat.

They ran out through the front door.

"Who do you think I should after first?" Kat looked over at her 'conscience' who stared at the two men.

"I say Caleb first. It'll make Reid so easy to break down. I mean, he is in love with you." Chase responded.

Caleb and Reid looked at one another. Who was she talking to? Who was in the corner?

"So shall it be."

"You should've let Cole kill me Caleb." Kat said.

"I don't want to hurt you Kat. There has to be some-"

"Humanity left?" She finished for him. "I don't think there is. Actually, you watched the last of it die in my arms."

"Kat, don't." Caleb warned.

"What, nothing to say Reid?" Kat turned to the blonde.

He didn't look away, but shook his head. His jaw was clenched tightly.

"Hmmm, well? What are you waiting for?!" She raised her hands fast, clashing up through the hard wood floors, roots from under the house wrapped around Reid's legs. Her hands came down and the roots along with them pulling Reid down through the floorboards.

"One down."

"Reid!" Caleb shouted. It was pitch black down through the floorboards.

Looking up at the small woman who buried one of his best friends, he watched her fly through the wall where at one point Reid had flew through. After the rubble settled, he could hear laugh. She thought this was funny?

"I said that I didn't want to hurt you, but that doesn't mean I won't." He said. His hand were clenched into tight fists.

"Bring it on…golden boy." Kat said as she got up on her feet. She could feel her abdomen throbbing from his hit. Bruises would show within minutes, she was sure.

She brushed dust and debris from herself and looked at Chase. He was the reason for all of this. She shouldn't have come back after sophomore year. He'd gotten her involved with them, possessing Cole. If she could kill him she would. The fucking bastard was attached. _  
><em>

"What do you have planned?" He asked. Kat stood there trying to catch her breath, waiting for the next blow.

Instead of answering she looked at Caleb and let the energy build up at her center. Deep shallow breaths entered and exited her body as her heart beat irregularly. When she couldn't hold it in any longer…

"Let it go!" Chase yelled at her. "Don't kill yourself."

A mass amount of energy flew from her in a 360 radius. Chase looked at her gravely.

"I didn't even have that much power."

"You couldn't handle it!" she snapped.

"Who are you talking to?"

"Just go away! This is your fault!" She screamed at Chase.

Sudden flashes ran through his head. _Your fault. _Lightning flashed across the sky and rain began to pour down. The droplets weren't small, but big, flooding big.

"Your fault." _Chase._ "Kat!"

Caleb ran out of the house through the hole in the house to watch Kat cross the street, splashing through puddles as she went to the other side towards campus. Another flash of lightning crossed the sky connecting with a nearby tree. He ran after her.

"Kat!"

* * *

><p>"Should we follow them?"<p>

"We were told to watch."

"That little bitch is the one who nearly destroyed us."

"Which is why we watch! There was a reason why she could obliterate us. She is powerful."

"So is he."

"In time they will join us."

"And if they don't?"

"They will. They could lift that ridiculous curse brought on them by their ancestors. They could even bring back the dead. They have much bigger destinies than they even realize, but if they don't, they die. Pure and simple."

"Who do you think will win."

"The boy."

"Really? The girl is more powerful."

"She wasn't born with it. She wasn't meant to have it."

"I believe she is strong enough."

"We will see."

* * *

><p><strong>Have I created more mystery? Well, leave a review, I'm curious for your thoughts.<strong>


	42. Destruction Is Us

**Back with another chapter before my Spring Break ends and I'm once again swamped with a crud-load of work. Here comes the destruction. Who will make it?**

* * *

><p>"Qwerty!" Sarah coughed.<p>

Smoke inched down her throat making breathing difficult. Qwerty had fainted and was slumped forward making no signs of movement. Sarah tried to wriggle free again, but the ropes were too tight and cutting into her wrists. Her finger tips had lost feeling several minutes ago.

"Wake up." Sarah said barely.

It was getting harder and harder to breathe. The fire was closing in on them and had covered the ceiling. Waiting for the end, Sarah saw a beam crash down from the ceiling and jumped.

"Help." She croaked.

As she lost consciousness the sounds of crashing could be heard. Calling out was futile. Her mouth was to dry and it was hard enough trying to breathe.

"Qwerty!"

She knew that voice. It was Tyler.

Tyler looked around. Pogue coughed beside him, his arm over his face. Moving quickly Tyler dodged a large piece of debris that came crashing down.

"Over there!" Pogue yelled over the roar of the flames around them.

Tyler could see a silhouette through the thick smoke.

"We have to hurry, the building could cave any minute." Pogue croaked.

Hurrying towards the silhouette, it was Qwerty. Tyler fell to his knees and grabbed Qwerty's face. Her eyes were closed. Pogue rushed to Sarah's side.

"Smoke Inhalation." Tyler said.

"We have to get out of here."

Tyler hurried to undo the knots in the rope that held Qwerty in place. Her limp body fell the short distance to the ground. Pogue stood by Tyler with Sarah in his arms mumbling incoherently. In one swoop, Qwerty was in Tyler's arms. He looked towards the way they entered. It was blocked by high flames that slowly encroached in on them.

"Tyler, we have to get out!"

"I'm thinking."

"Think faster!"

Tyler spun and saw a large door; the only thing separating them from it was flames that climbed higher and higher. He looked down at his unconscious girlfriend then at Pogue who was trying to guard Sarah from getting burned. _It's the only way out. _

Hesitating, Tyler ran through the large flames. Pogue yelled after him.

"Pogue! Just run through it!"

Pogue wasn't so sure. Closing his eyes, he ran. A wave of heat rolled over him as he ran, but vanished only slightly. He opened his eyes, his vision was blurry, but he could see Tyler's figure kicking at the wooden door while Qwerty remained his arms. Sarah wheezed in Pogue's arms.

"Tyler!"

Tyler didn't reply and continued to kick the wooden door. Striking it two more times, the wood of the door cracked and busted. Tyler used his foot to clear a hole big enough. Squeezing out of the door, the two rushed away from the building.

Sarah blinked, her eyes tearing up, and inhaled the fresh air. Smoke and ash covered both of them. She looked at the burning building that she and Qwerty were supposed to burn in.

"Pogue?" She coughed.

"Breathe." He told her and glanced over at Tyler who cradled Qwerty in his arms. She stared blankly at the burning warehouse like Sarah. It came crumbling down making her flinch.

"Something's wrong with her." Sarah mumbled.

"Qwerty? She's fine. Tyler has her."

"No, Kat. Something is after her, making her do these things. You have to help her."

"She tried to kill you guys." He said with disbelief. Sarah just shook her head, her eyes serious.

* * *

><p>"Kat!" Caleb's voice thundered.<p>

Kat halted in the large quad of the of the college campus. Her hair whipped across her face when she spun around to face him. He was like an older brother, family. He had taken care of her, but the key word is 'was' because he failed.

"Are you going to kill me?" she asked mischievously.

"I don't want to. You might not have given me any choice."

Kat smirked and gave him a 'come hither' gesture with her fingers. Lightning struck two feet from her, the aftershock reaching her toes.

"If you're going to hit me then hit me." She coaxed.

Caleb punched out in the rain. A large energy force erupted from his fist and flew at Kat.

"Move." Chase said.

Kat didn't. seeing it coming, she grinned, welcoming the death blow.

"Move now, Kat!"

At the last second she slid to the left, the large force flying past and hitting the campus church steps behind her.

"Really Chase?" she grumbled. "You wanted this! You won't go away so I'm going to make you the only way I know how."

"You will not commit suicide!" Chase screamed at her. "Belive it or not, I don't want this. You do and so I went along with it. I have no power. I gave it to you."

Caleb watched her scream at the invisible Chase. Through the rain, he could see her crying as she sunk down into the mud.

"We deserve to die and we will." She said.

Turning away from Chase, she stood back up. Her clothes stuck to her frame mud covered, her hair clung to her face.

"Don't do this. I want to help."

"You can't help me! You killed me!" She screamed.

"Kat," she walked away ignoring him, "Kat!"

Looking up at the stormy sky, she rose her hand as if trying to touch it. A smile spread across face. She could feel everything. The power rendered itself to her, engulfed her. _Who am I anymore? _

"Kat!" Caleb called out. He had gotten closer to her.

"Stop where you are!" She yelled.

"Why are you doing this? Is it Chase? What he did?"

"Stop!"

"You aren't him. You don't have to be like him."

"Him?" She scoffed. "This isn't about how annoying he is sitting by me trying to talk me down or trying to make me do things. This is about you, all of you. How we kept dying! Ryan, Whitney, me! Dead!"

Caleb took a step closer. She punched the air; a force left her fist and hit him knocking him to the ground. Her hands shook uncontrollably.

"This is all your fault! They died! You didn't even try to save them! I know, I saw everything."

Caleb got up and continued to try and get closer. She punched the air again and he was struck backwards. Lightning flashed across the sky more frequently.

"They left me!" she screamed past her now flowing tears.

"We couldn't do anything."

"You could've brought them back!"

"That's unnatural."

Caleb stood only a few feet from her now. His abdomen ached from her blows. Breathing hurt like a son of a bitch. Kat shook her head and laughed. She knew unnatural. She was unnatural now. Clenching her fists, the ground began to shake underneath their feet. It was too late to stop now. The power took control of her and she was okay with it. If it killed her, she was okay. After all, she deserved to die.

"Kat you have to stop!"

* * *

><p>"Oh god," Reid groaned. He looked around, but all he saw was darkness. "Caleb?"<p>

His legs ached as he stood. The cellar lit up instantly. The blackness of his eyes faded and he limped toward the stairway. _Don't kill her Caleb. _The bookcase creaked open and Reid was faced with the wreckage of the house. His jaw dropped at the sight of the hole in the house leading out into the downpour outside.

"Again?"

He ran out the hole to find them. He stopped when the ground suddenly shook and lightning crossed the sky leaving a loud crash in its wake.

"Kat."

Caleb fell to his knees. His cheek bled from her last strike. How he wasn't dead from the lightning strike.

"What? Give up fighting me so soon? I thought you weren't afraid to hurt me."

"Something's wrong." He breathed.

"Yeah, it's you."

She moved to strike him again, but he caught her power and obliterated it.

"Just die so the world can be happy!" She growled out and sent more power at him.

Caleb deflected it and grabbed her wrists, stopping her.

"Not like this."

"Just—this is your fault! All your fault. People die when you befriend them! It's all your fault, they're dead!"

"I'm sorry!" Caleb yelled over the downpour. "I'm sorry Kat!"

"I loved them, bring them back." She yanked her hands out of his grasp and hit him in the chest, shoving him backwards because of the power behind it.

"I'm sorry." He repeated.

"No!" she hit him again.

"You're like a sister to me…I'm sorry."

"I hate you!" she hit him again.

Chase stood by helplessly, invisibly and watched her hit Caleb. He knew Caleb wasn't to blame. If he could switch places with Caleb he would've. The power controlled him then and made him a monster. Now it was doing the same to her. If Caleb didn't stop her, she could drag the entire campus under and destroy it because of her hatred.

Caleb felt his heart skip a beat painfully, but ignored it and grabbed Kat's wrists before she could hit him again and possibly stop his heart. It wouldn't have mattered if she did anyway. Spinning her around, he locked her in place against his chest as she screamed at him.

Reid reached the quad moments before, his hair and clothing completely soaked. He watched as Kat yelled at the golden boy for the loss of their friends. His jaw clenched tightly thinking about Ryan and Whitney. The sky rumbled above.

"Caleb," A bad feeling washed over Reid, not that the whole situation wasn't bad. Then Caleb looked over and Reid knew that he saw him.

Lightning flashed and struck the two in the middle of the quad. Reid's eyes widened and he dashed onto the quad.

Kat fell from Caleb's arms, and Caleb fell to the ground beside her. Both of their bodies emitted smoke from the strike. Dirt was everywhere and a large chunk of earth with black scorch marks was riveted. Reid slid to a stop on his knees beside Caleb.

"Caleb! Wake up."

Reid went to shake him, but let go quickly. Caleb's skin was burning hot. Reid grabbed him again and ignored the burning on his hands and shook him.

"C'mon." He laid his ear to Caleb's chest. There was a heartbeat. Placing his hands on the center of Caleb's chest, Reid performed CPR. His own heart was racing radically praying that he didn't just lose him. He glanced over at Kat's still form.

Caleb coughed and rolled to his side. His head throbbed and there was two of everything no matter where he looked. Two of Reid. Two of sets of destroyed church steps. Two church steeples.

"Caleb, oh thank god." Reid breathed as he sat back on his heels. "I thought you weren't going to wake up."

Is—is she-"

"I don't know." Reid said before Caleb could finish.

Caleb crawled over to Kat. The rain had lightened and washed away her tears. Putting an arm around her waist, he laid his head on her chest and listened. It was faint, but there was a heartbeat. He smiled even though it hurt. She was alive. The large strike was the only thing he could think of. And thought it didn't kill her, it knocked her out. There had to be a way to help her. He wondered if Chase was still here, a part of her. How close was he?

"She's alive." Caleb mumbled loud enough for Reid to hear.

"Now what?" Reid asked.

"I think there's someone who might be able to help her, but we should hurry."


	43. Goodbye to You

**I realize how long it's been, and I'm terribly sorry. I've been loaded with classes, but it's summer! So, I should be able to update a little more regularly. Also, I've got another story in the works called Firewall. Check it out if you have time. **

**Here's a fresh chapter, holds lots of action and sadness. Be prepared. **

* * *

><p>Kat stared at the empty chair in front of her as she sipped her hot tea. Tyler stared at the empty chair wondering what she saw while restraining himself from strangling her. Reid kept a close eye on him from the kitchen or what was left of it. There was a huge chunk missing from the cabinets. plates and glasses lay broken on the floor and in the sink. Kat had done quite a number on the place.<p>

Kat continued to stare at the chair saying nothing. Chase, who sat there, watched her with great worry. His hands were clasped together tightly. She was barely moving, not speaking and barely acknowledged anything. There was a only a shadow of who she once was.

"Kat, I'm sorry." Chase said.

She didn't acknowledge his apology or the look on his face expressing great sympathy. As far as she knew, it was his fault. He made her think these things. made do many bad things to everyone and told her it was okay. All of his evil was running through her veins. She knew it was only a matter of time before he wanted her to do more. Death was the only option.

Reid turned to Caleb and Pogue who were deep in conversation.

"They're on their way."

"What makes you think they can help us," Pogue asked.

"They helped us."

"Right, but she is unreal. She should be dead after what Chase did."

"She isn't and Chase is in her now that his power is attached to her. She needs somebody to help her with this. We told her about it, but now she's experiencing all of it without the buffer."

"I'm still shocked that you two are alive. You dropped a whole floor. your legs should be broken and you?" Pogue pointed at Caleb, "You got struck by lightning…again."

Reid kept quiet. The only thought that ran through his head was how happy he was that everybody lived. He turned to check on the other two again.

"Tyler!" Reid exclaimed gravely.

Tyler laid faced down on the floor, his arm hanging in the gaping hole Reid had been pulled through. His eyes rolled to the back of his head.

"She just kept saying…that it needed to be over…" he muttered breathily.

A crash upstairs startled everybody. Reid handed Tyler off to Pogue and dashed up the battered stairs.

"Kat!" he screamed.

He skidded to a stop in the bathroom doorway. Qwerty and Sarah peeked out of Caleb's room where they had been hiding away after the long, exhausting, dangerous night. Kat sat on her knees with a large piece of glass from the mirror. She stared down at her pale wrist.

"Don't do this Kat." Chase said from behind.

"Shut up. No me equals no you, and that's a good thing. You won't force me to hurt them anymore."

Her eyes sparkled with tears, and they glided down her smoldered cheeks.

"No. Kat, you don't understand. I'm connected to you. I can feel everything. I can feel your pain, your rage, all of it." Chase met her eyes. "Don't."

"I can't stop it."

"Kat," Reid said finally announcing his presence.

Kat looked up past Chase to Reid. She could feel other shards of glass from the broken mirror dig into her shins.

"I didn't mean to hurt Tyler. He would let me finish it," she sobbed.

"You don't need to finish anything. We're going to take care of you."

"You can't."

Kat dragged the shard across her small left wrist, cutting through the blue vein. Blood seeped from the opening and poured out onto the bathroom floor fast. She could feel life draining out of her magical veins. Soon enough nobody would need to worry about her.

"No!" Chase and Reid shouted simultaneously.

Chase looked down at his left wrist. Blood dripped down from it. He looked down at Kat who moved to her other wrist.

"Don't! You'll kill us!" he cried.

"I must."

She got halfway across her right wrist when the shard flew from her wrist. She looked up at Reid. His eyes were a black abyss. Kat flashed her own black eyes in defense, but staggered back at feeling the dark power try to take over again. It was only for a second, but it came over her making her feel empty and lonely. She cried harder.

Blood continued to pour from her wrists. Reid knelt down beside her, the blood all over his jeans. He put pressure to her wrists to slow the bleeding.

"Caleb!"

In an instant, Caleb was up the stairs and in the bathroom nearly sliding on Kat's blood. He stumbled to the medicine cabinet and pulled down the first aid kit. Ripping the small box open, he grabbed the gauze, hydrogen peroxide and butterfly stitches. Then he looked at Reid hopeful.

Reid rocked Kat back and forth, his eyes still black. Slowly, he lulled Kat into a sleep as if giving her sleeping pills. Caleb mended her wounds the best he could. Taking her to the hospital would've been great if she wasn't considered dead.

Reid carried her downstairs and laid her down on the couch in the living room. Tyler grumbled to himself as he held a pack of ice to his head.

"She didn't do it to kill you." Reid told him. "She did it to get past you."

"I noticed." Tyler pointed at her wrist where the blood still bled through the gauze, but not as bad as before.

"I tried to heal it." Caleb said. "It wouldn't fully fix it."

"Laws of nature." Kat murmured.

"She's right. Even the Book of Damnation tells us that we can't use too much. There's always something that will take the place of what we use." Pogue said.

Kat was still asleep. She was unrecognizable with her hair knotted up, dirt all over her mixed with blood.

"They'll be here soon." Caleb said directing their attention to something new.

He watched Reid brush her hair from her face and hold her hand. Tyler put the ice pack back on his head. His head felt like it had split open. He knew that he couldn't stay angry with her, not forever. It would take time.

* * *

><p>"How could you let it get this far!"<p>

"Mom, she was dead. We didn't think some creepy evil…" Caleb searched for the term, but it was strange to even think it, "genie to bring her back from the dead. I lot has happened within the last week."

The aging woman, Evelyn, sighed heavily. She didn't understand why her own son kept all of this from her. Looking over at Kat, she could see that she'd changed greatly. There were dark circles under her eyes and her skin was terribly pale. Kat twitched at little. She held so much pain.

"We've lost people we love, our friends, and so has she." Reid spoke up.

His quiet, mellow voice broke through their arguing. He kissed Kat's bruised knuckles, and his fingers rubbed soothingly along the gauze.

"She needs help."

"And what do think we can do?"

"Take care of her like you did with us when we needed you."

"She is meant to be dead."

"Kill her and so help me-" Reid started.

"She's not dying." Caleb cut in quickly.

"Wake her." Caleb's mom demanded.

Tyler looked alarmed by that.

"That's not a good idea. You have no idea what she's capable of." Tyler said.

His eyes were wide with fear.

"Reid," the woman said sincerely, "wake her. I need to speak with her. Gorman will be right here."

Reid looked down at the wrecked young woman and caressed her cheek. He touched his forehead to hers wanting nothing than everything to go back to the way it was. He didn't care if that meant that she got to be with Ryan. At least nobody would be hurt or dead.

"Kat, wake up."

Her eyes fluttered open at his command, brown met blue. Reid could see the hurt in her eyes. She looked away from him and at the back of the couch. Everybody was talking. Inside, she could feel her inside clench.

"Katherine." Evelyn said, "Look at me."

Reluctantly, Kat did. Her eyes flashed and she looked away quickly.

"I don't want to hurt anyone. It's taking over."

"She can help you." Chase said.

He stood by Reid though nobody, but her could see him.

"Nobody can help me."

"Let her try then."

"She'll die."

"No."

"Who is she speaking with?" Evelyn asked.

"I told you, she has a connection to Chase."

The woman took her fur coat from Gorman, her caretaker, and put it on. Her dark hair, almost black, fell over her shoulders gracefully. She walked to the couch and sat at the end of it. Kat quickly scurried back. Reid held her steadfast. She clutched him terrified.

"We're going to help you get this under control okay? All three of us."

"Three?"

"As I understand it, Chase is a part of you?"

Kat nodded warily. Tendrils of hair hung in her face.

"He will learn to share or you will in fact die and him along with you." She said.

Kat took in her appearance. This woman was Caleb's mom. He'd told her about how she took care of his father when they all had addiction problems to the power and how that drove her to alcoholism. Kat couldn't smell any alcohol on her.

Kat said nothing. She just stared from her to the old man. These people were supposed to help her?

"Can-can I trust you?" she stammered still allowing Reid to hold her.

"Of course."

Kat looked up at Chase who stood by her side.

"It's okay." He said while giving her an encouraging nod.

She looked back at the woman and nodded.

"Okay."

* * *

><p>Kat went upstairs after feeling sure that she was indeed going to be leaving. She kept her hands together to be safe. She paused in front of Caleb's door. Whispers could be heard on the other side of it, Qwerty and Sarah. Knocking and apologizing was what she wanted to do, but maybe it was too late. She walked into the bathroom where she'd broken the mirror. With her foot, she brushed the glass into a corner in the room the she walked over to the shower and turned it on.<p>

"I want to be alone." She murmured.

Chase, who had followed her like always, nodded and left the room. Kat closed the door behind then grabbed a fluffy clean towel from the small closet by the door. Setting it on the toilet seat, she slid off her one flip flop. The other had been long lost. Her muscles all the way down to the bone ached. As she took off her shirt which had been stained with so many different substances, the door opened and closed quietly.

"I said, I want to be alone," her tone quiet, yet indignant.

She turned and was faced with Reid. He stood only inches from her, invading her personal space. His borad frame towered over her. She shrugged lightly, giving up and turned away from him.

"I can bathe myself."

"You shouldn't be alone."

"I'm fine."

"You tried to kill yourself."

Kat said nothing. She lifted her tank top up over her head next, her wrist aching from all of the bending. Reid helped her pull it up over her head then tossed it to the floor. She bent her wrist a little and felt pangs of pain shoot up her arm.

Reid undressed the rest of her with great care. Not once did he try anything on her. Kat watched him with one hand on his shoulder as he pulled her cut up jeans off. He paused at seeing small bits of glass in her shins. Gently he pulled every piece out. Small drops of blood trickled down her legs. She could tell he was having his own troubles.

"It's okay." She said.

"Once again, you tried to kill yourself."

"But I didn't succeed did I?"

Crouched where he was, he looked up at her. She barely looked alive. Her face was nearly void of any emotion.

"Don't do it again."

The words held a threat in them. Kat just nodded and stood. She didn't take notice of her stark nakedness. Reaching out, she began to pull Reid's hoodie up. He grabbed her hands stopping her, making her flinch.

"Help me." She said.

He let go of her and let her pull it off. They knew what they looked like, and Reid wished he was seeing her like this under different circumstances. Pulling his t-shirt off, she gasped and her eyes watered. Purplish black bruises melded together all over his chest and torso. She stepped away, but Reid stopped her.

"It's not that bad."

She shook her head. She knew different. Touching the bruises, she closed her eyes. If anything, she could do one good thing at least one. She had to.

Her fingertips were cold when she touched the mass bruising. He watched her eyes clenched tighter. Looking down, he saw the bruises fade away and stopped her before she could finish knowing very well that she was taking the pain for herself. Bruising showed on her torso in the exact places that they remained on Reid only lighter.

"Don't."

"I have to fix it." she said still gazing at his injuries.

"You've done enough."

"I'm bad."

"No. Chase is bad. It can be fixed though."

In her eyes, he could see that she didn't believe him. It was pointless right now.

He shed the rest of his clothing and helped her into the shower. They stood her the hot jet stream of water and let it warm them. Reid let his hands run over her fragile skin with a wash cloth. Red mixed with the water and went down the drain.

Kat leaned back into him and shuddered following up with a sniffle. He dropped the cloth and wrapped his arms around her. She turned in his arms and laid her head on his chest. He held her a little tighter as she sobbed.

"They're gone!" she cried. "They're never coming back."

"Shhhh, it's okay."

It was a lie he didn't need to say, but came out anyway wanting to heal her, protect her from all of it. Kat's legs caved from under her. Reid lowered to the floor, trying to slip, and sat there. Her hair stuck to her face, but she paid no mind. She clung to him tightly.

* * *

><p>"She'll stay with me in Ipswich."<p>

Caleb pinched the bridge of his nose feeling frustration over his mother's tone. He was beginning to regret this

"Gorman and I will take care of her, don't worry."

"I just keep thinking about how none of this would've happened if I had just said no to letting her live here in the beginning."

"Caleb…" Evelyn could see Caleb's plan written all over his face. "Don't even think about it."

It was too late though. His eyes changed black. The surroundings all around them changed, blurred together and the night turned into day. His mom was gone. So, was the debris around the room and the destruction. There were things that had never been there before actually, like a whole DVD rack filled with multiple horror and action movies, a Do Not Enter street sign, and the curtains were black. They were massive changes, but noticeable

"Dude! Get out of the way!" Reid shouted.

Caleb blinked blankly at his friend, both his friends actually. They sat side by side on the couch trying to see past Caleb. Looking at the TV, he stepped out of the way. A football game was on. Eagles against Patriots.

"What are you doing here Tyler?"

"Class got cancelled." He shrugged not breaking eye contact with the TV.

He waved frantically for Caleb to move. Caleb obliged as he looked around the house looking for other differences. The walls were intact as was the floor. The place was well kept actually. Caleb walked up the stairs towards his usual room, but stopped outside Kat's room. He grabbed the doorknob and twisted it, but hesitated a moment before opening it.

He looked around the messy room. Reid's stereo sat in the corner. His bed was unmade and his laptop sat on his desk. The door to the private bathroom hung open and a towel sat on the floor in the doorway. There was no sign of Kat. This was Reid's room like it was supposed to be.

Reid's room also meant that other things have changed. Tyler transferring here wasn't one of them apparently, but things changed.

"Ryan?" Caleb called out in a low voice so the others didn't hear him.

**What's up? Are you okay?**

The walls bled the words out. Caleb smiled, his eyes gleaming happily. Ryan wasn't dead, not technically anyway.

"I'm fine. Just wondering about a few things. I'll talk to you later." Caleb rushed down the stairs.

Reid and Tyler shouted at the TV a touchdown was made. Their hands were in the air in disbelief.

"Hey, where's Qwerty?"

"Who?" Tyler said.

His eyebrow furrowed with confusion.

"Qwerty."

Tyler shrugged, his attention still on the game.

"Are you talking about that one girl who died our freshman year?" Reid asked.

"Huh?"

"That's not funny Caleb. We tried to help her. We were just too late okay? I can't believe you're still hard on yourself."

Caleb stared at Reid not believing what he was hearing. Reid scratched his forehead and sighed. he gave Caleb a sympathetic look.

"Homecoming wasn't your fault. I know that you and Qwerty were kind of friends because of the classes you had together. No one knew that Cole guy was going to go off on her. She didn't say anything." Reid's voice trailed off.

Caleb looked down at his shoes then back at Reid. Qwerty was dead and on top of that, they barely knew each other. It was too strange. Tyler was dating her. if anything the two should be together now. He exhaled at the realization. Kat was what brought those two together. With the good things that have come out of keeping her away there was also bad. How much worse could be?

There was a knocking on the front door. Caleb opened it warily and froze.

"Kat." He greeted breathlessly.

She smiled brightly at him, her appearance completely different than it was a few moments ago. Her hair shown vibrantly as the long locks hung down on her shoulders. She wore a Radiohead band t-shirt with light blue jeans that had holes in the knees and black converse sneakers. She walked in past the dazed young man and into the living room. She looked alive like when they had met in the very beginning. She was okay.

"Hey." She greeted.

Caleb followed her and leaned against the door frame, crossing his arms over his chest. He was further stunned to watch her lean down and kiss Tyler. She and Reid were the ones with dramatic romantic problems not Tyler. He grabbed her by the back of the neck and held her there. Reid rolled his eyes and grumbled an inaudible insult.

"Ready to go?" she asked pulling a few inches away from him.

Tyler kept his hand at the back of her neck. Their breaths mingled together. This isn't right either. She wasn't supposed to be with Tyler.

"Yeah." Tyler got up and grabbed his jacket off the coat rack. "Later Reid, Caleb."

"We're in the middle of the game!" Reid exclaimed with a glare pointed at Kat.

"We can finish it later."

"It's not recorded!"

"Then we'll watch another game another day." Tyler said.

"Seriously!?"

"Get over it Reid. You don't get him all to yourself all the time." Kat snapped.

Tyler nudged her in the side. She stumbled and rolled her eyes.

"I'm sorry, but it's true."

"I can't believe I put up with you." Reid growled.

"I can't believe I tolerate you. All you do is whine and give out STDs to all the sorority girls."

"Con."

"Whore."

"Cunt."

"Slutbag."

"Enough!" Caleb yelled.

Tyler sighed and ran his hand down the side of his face fed up that they always fought. He was so sick of the tow of them fighting.

"Quit your bitching. I'm not ditching either of you two so get along." Tyler said in a demanding tone.

Kat bit her lower lip, her eyes instantly becoming lust filled at the sight of his domineering side. She took his hand in hers. Reid grunted in disgust and turned back to the TV. Caleb saw his eyes flash black and wondered what he was going to do. By the look of rage that appeared on Tyler's face, he saw it too.

Tyler reached out and swatted him across the head. Reid rubbed the back of his head and stood getting into Tyler's face. Caleb shoved both of them unable to take any more of this. They both looked at him with a 'what the hell' look.

"Kitchen. Now."

Tyler gave Kat and apologetic look and kissed her hand before letting it go.

"It's okay. I'm sorry." She said.

"Don't be. It's not you."

He gave Reid a pointed look then walked to the kitchen.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Tyler grounded out.

"I wasn't going to do anything to bad. I was just going to crack her radiator." Reid said.

Caleb leaned against the island counter as they hissed at each other like cobras fighting over territory. They had never fought this bad and when they did, it wasn't on opposite side of the team.

"She could find out! Is that really what you want?"

"You just don't want her to go running. Wake up Tyler. She's a gold digger." Reid snapped.

Caleb saw Tyler's fist clench then release.

"You're just jealous." He scoffed.

"Jealous? No."

"You need to quit 'using' so much. You know how addictive it is. I don't want to go to another funeral."

Another funeral, caleb thought. Pogue? Caleb couldn't believe it.

"Pogue's dead…"

"Yeah. That was a hell of a lot to deal with this year."

Caleb nodded. His heart felt heavy now.

"Enough Reid. Just enough." Tyler said then left the kitchen.

Caleb followed him out and stared out the front window watching them leave. Tyler spun her around as they danced towards her car. The 1969 pinstriped Camaro. She still had it. Tyler grabbed for the car keys that she dangled in front of him. After missing them twice, he grabbed her around the waist and spun her making her laugh then set her on her feet, and kissed her. They looked completely happy.

"What is going on with you?"

Caleb turned around. Reid looked at him skeptically.

"You're acting really weird." Reid continued. "Asking about people. Why are you bringing up those who died? It's not right. I'm mostly shocked that you're talking to us."

"What are you talking about? We always talk. We live together."

"Yeah, we live together, but Caleb, you barely ever speak to us unless it's about rent. You haven't spoken much since Qwerty's death and even less after Pogue's!" Reid exclaimed.

Caleb didn't say anything.

"That's what I thought. I need to get out of here." Reid snarled and stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind him.

"It's not supposed to be like this. It's supposed to be better. Nobody is supposed to be dead."

Caleb ran his hands restlessly through his hair. After pacing across the living room a few times, he left and made his way towards campus. Students were sitting in the large quad out front of the church. It was only last night he and Kat had their show down. The ground wasn't mess up at all.

"No." he said. "This is all wrong."

He sat down at a nearby bench. Reid and Tyler aren't exactly friends anymore thanks to Kat. She brought them closer originally. Caleb's thoughts were jumbled. After a few more minutes of sitting there he made his way back to the house and sat in the living room. He grabbed the remote and flipped through a few channels. He settled on of the Die Hards to occupy his time for a while even though it didn't completely ease his mind. Pogue and Qwerty being dead haunted him. One simple word changed all of this. They still had the curse too that caused the power to be addictive and age effected. Kat had changed that, but now she hadn't. How could the difference be so large? Living with this would be hard, but maybe the rift between the four of them could be fixed.

Caleb came out of his thoughts as he heard laughter. Looking out the window, he saw he saw Kat coming from the passenger's side of the Camaro. Tyler was just turning off the car, the car door open. Caleb smirked. He was glad that those two were happy at least.

Suddenly the car exploded and the front windows busted. Caleb shielded himself from the flying glass. He paid no mind to the small pieces that cut him.

"Tyler!" Kat screamed.

Caleb ran out the front door and grabbed Kat around the waist stopping from getting too close to the flames.

"Tyler!" he yelled.

There was no reply. Caleb's eyes teared up as Kat sobbed, screamed and fought incessantly in his arms trying to get to the car where Tyler burned. The flames rose high touching the twilight sky that slowly filled with stars. Kat's legs gave out, and Caleb picked her up and carried her into the house.

He set her down on the couch where she continued to cry hysterically. She hugged herself tightly.

Caleb went into the kitchen and pulled out his cell phone and dialed 9-1-1.

"Help! My friend's car exploded outside!" he said.

His voice shook.

'Sir, stay calm-"

"Calm! My friend was in that car damn it!"

Caleb hung finding it pointless to call them. He slammed his phone down on the countertop. Not Tyler, he thought, not him. Maybe he just went and hid or something.

He could still hear Kat sobbing in the living room. quickly grabbing a glass from the cabinet, he filled it with water and took it to her. she sniffled and took it, but didn't drink.

"He…he can't be dead."

"Kat…"

"He proposed to me. He can't be dead." She cried.

Surely enough, she wore a diamond on her left hand. Caleb took her in his arms and hugged her tightly. His chest tightened as the event replayed in his hand. They were laughing, smiling and it was taken away. He couldn't figure out who did this.

The front door opened and Reid rushed in nearly tripping.

"What happened!? The police have swarmed a car outside." He looked at the two of them then out the open front door where rubble was being picked up out on the street.

"Where's Tyler?"

Kat cried harder into Caleb's chest. He took the glass of water from her hand before she spilled it and set it on the coffee table.

"Tyler's dead."

Caleb's eyes went black as he thought about the words Reid and Tyler shared before Tyler left.

"Caleb," Reid said warily, "I had nothing to do with it."

Reid took a step back uneasily. Kat looked up, tears still cascading down her reddened cheeks.

"You talked about it." Caleb growled.

"I didn't mean it!" Reid's eyes quickly matched Caleb's.

"Didn't you!? All you two do is fight anymore apparently."

"I would never kill my friend!"

Kat shrank back to the opposite end of the couch frightened. Caleb stood up in front of her protectively.

"Are you protecting her?" Reid asked. "From what?"

"Me."

Both young men turned and looked to the corner of the room where the bookcase to the cellar was.

"No." Reid said in grave disbelief.

"Oh yes."

"Pogue."

"Hello there Caleb. Miss me?"

"I thought-"

"That I was dead? Yeah, I thought I was dead too. Then Chase visited me and I've never felt better. Oh wait, I am Chase."

"No…" Caleb trailed off.

"Sorry about Tyler. I just love to make an entrance."

"How could you?" Reid exclaimed.

"Easily. I want power, and you two have it."

"You didn't take Tyler's?"

"He's unneeded."

Caleb watched as Pogue began to mutter uncontrollably to himself. The lights flickered.

"What's happening?" Kat stammered.

"Caleb we can't beat him, not without Tyler." Reid said.

His voice quivered. Caleb clenched his fists. Regret washed through his veins.

"I have to fix this." he whispered to himself.

Pogue chuckled darkly.

"Oh Katherine, innocent Katherine." Pogue emphasized the word 'innocent'.

Pogue reached out into the air and gripped it as if strangling somebody and squeezed. Kat coughed and hacked as he squeezed the air out of her.

"Let her go!" Reid yelled.

Punching out in Pogue's direction, he 'used, and a strong force rushed from his fists and at him. Pogue deflected it easily without letting go of Kat who was now coughing up blood.

"Oh Reid, you were always so easy to get worked up. And getting worked up makes you blind." Pogue snarled.

With his free hand, Pogue grabbed Reid by the throat like he did with Kat and lifted him from the ground. Caleb watched helplessly. Pogue would've gotten possessed by Chase…

"No!" Caleb yelled as Pogue shut his hand in a fist and turned it.

Reid's neck snapped loudly and his limp body fell to the ground. He dropped Kat.

"I'll keep you for later, princess." He chuckled.

Caleb dropped to his knees beside Reid. Purple marks arose around his neck, finger marks.

"How could you!"

"Well, I guess he wasn't that useful." Chase shrugged.

He looked down at his hands. Taking the opportunity, Caleb went to Kat's side.

"I'm so sorry this happened to you. I'm going to fix this." he said.

Kat opened her mouth to speak, but didn't know what to say. She looked over at Reid's pale body.

"I-I don't understand." She stammered.

"You don't have to."

"Are you going to save her Caleb?" Chase asked from behind.

"I'm going to save all of us."

Closing his eyes, Caleb felt a sudden rush around him. It made him feel dizzy. He kept his eyes closed after it subsided.

"You don't even know the repercussions of that kind of decision."

Caleb opened his eyes at hearing his Mom's voice. He glanced around the room. Pogue was talking to Tyler. A very much alive Tyler who sat in the arm chair with an ice pack on his head talked to a very alive and not possessed Pogue. Both of them bore worried looks. The living room had a hole in the floor from when Kat dragged him down through it. He let out a breath of relief.

Kat came downstairs a few minutes later with a backpack slung over one shoulder while Caleb was still taking in the trip he came from. Nobody seemed to realize that he changed everything, not even his Mom. The 'using' took him right back here. Having Kat here was better than not having her even if it didn't seem like it.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Her eyes expressed her exhaustion.

"Yeah, I'm okay. What about you?"

Caleb put a comforting hand on her shoulder. It felt heavy.

"It'll take time." She said.

She didn't meet his eyes. Reid came downstairs to meet them. Neither he nor Kat gave away their moment alone.

"Katherine," Evelyn said breaking the moment between her and Caleb, "are you ready?"

"Almost."

Holding out her hand, her eyes changed. The bookcase opened and out flew the book of damnation. The book landed fluidly in her hands. She held the book, stared at it like a long lost friend for several moments. Everyone in the room watched her carefully.

"Okay, I'm ready."

Kat handed the book to Caleb.

"I was writing something. You can read it later."

Kat patted the book and smiled weakly. Evelyn followed her out the front door. Gorman opened the car door to the backseat for her. Kat looked up at the creepy house.

The boys stared at her emotionless except for Reid.

"I'm not coming back." She announced. "I'm sorry..for everything. I –I should've never came here."

"I'm glad you did." Caleb said.

He walked down the porch steps and engulfed her in a hug.

"I'm glad you did." he whispered.

Kat hugged him back. He held her face in his hands after he let go.

"I'm going to miss you. You've sacrificed so much."

"I thought it mean something." She replied.

"And it does. It means so much."

Caleb turned and saw the other three standing by him. Evelyn got in the car and let them say goodbye. Pogue hugged her next and then Tyler who took off his jacket and wrapped it around her. he'd taken it back from her easily. The three of them walked back up the porch.

"You have to come back." Reid said.

Risking it, he brushed a few strands of her hair from her face and caressed her cheek. Kat didn't reply. She wasn't changing her mind.

"It's for the best. Even if I do get better, I don't know that I'll be able to handle being around you guys, around your power. I'm sorry."

She moved to get in the car, but he stopped her. He put both arms up on the car caging her in.

"Say it."

Kat's eyes softened. She could feel her heart speed up.

"Don't do this to yourself."

"Say it."

Kat's breath stuttered. She caressed his face. There wasn't a day that didn't go by when she didn't think about him. She would always think about him. From the very beginning, she was his.

"I love you."

Reid kissed her hard, pressing her to the car. He wanted to remember this, her. he didn't want to move on.

"You'll come back."

"No."

"And, when you do, I'll be waiting okay?"

"Reid,"

He didn't listen to anything she said.

"Kat, I am not letting you go anymore."

His baby blue filled with tears. Kat shook her head.

"You are not doing this," she said, "you are going to move on. I am not coming back. You won't see me."

She kissed him chastely on the lips. She could taste his tears on her lips. Pulling away, she stroked his lower lip with her thumb savoring his taste and moved away from him. Her eyes changed.

"I'm going to save you." she whispered.

"No," he pleaded.

"I want you to forget about me. It's okay. Just forget about us. You never had any feelings for me."

Reid's eyes dulled, the love in them fading. He stepped back a few steps and gave her a heartfelt smile. She could see that the only love he held was brotherly almost. Inside, it felt as if her heart just died. Losing Ryan was hard especially when she watched it. Now, Reid. She didn't think her life would amount to this.

Kat opened the door and got in.

"You did right by him. Even if you were his first love." Evelyn said.

Kat remained quiet as they pulled out of the drive. She watched the dawn as they drove away.

Reid watched them go. After they disappeared from sight, he walked up the porch steps.

"I'll let you guys clean up." Reid patted Pogue on the back.

"Dick." Pogue smirked.

"I'm tired." Reid said and headed upstairs.

"What did she do?" Tyler murmured to Caleb.

"I don't know, but whatever it was made him happy."

Reid closed his door quietly. He looked around the room pleased that it seemed to not be disturbed. He flopped down on his bed and looked around the room. It felt like forever since he'd last set foot in this room. He looked at the picture frames that sat on his night stand. The one of him and Kat stuck out the most. He remembered thinking how it was his favorite.

"I'm going to miss you."

He touched the frame. Something felt different. He knew that they had been close. Why didn't it affect him more? He sighed heavily. Rolling onto his back, he closed his eyes.

Downstairs, Pogue looked down the hole in the floor.

"Alright, let's do this."

Easily and effortless he 'used' and the entire living room was spotless showing no hint that it had been destroyed. Tyler and Caleb gazed around it.

"What do you think about moving in?" Caleb asked, patting him on the shoulder.

"What?" Pogue laughed.

"It'd be better if we were all under one roof for the time being." Tyler added.

Pogue looked around.

"How long man? You know I'm not in college. I have a mechanic's shop I have to run."

"Open up a new location." Tyler coaxed with a large grin. "Become a business man."

Pogue sighed. They were both perfectly chipper like Reid almost. They didn't have their memories wiped though. He still remembered last year when Kat came down to California. She was frightened and lost. Chase's possession wasn't the only thing that had plagued her. IT had been the possibility that anyone could love her.

"Kat only left ten minutes ago."

Tyler's face fell and Caleb walked off to the kitchen.

"We're trying. You try too." Tyler said quietly.

"Fine. I'll stay."

Pogue sighed and sat down in the large arm chair. Tyler gave him a weak smile and went upstairs. He stopped by Reid's door tempted to knock and see how he was doing. He decided against it and went to his own room. Closing the door behind him, he slid down against and let out a staggering breath. He could still hear the words and knew that for several days and possibly weeks they'd remain. As he let the salty tears streak down his cheeks he thought about the first time they met. Wiping his eyes, he sniffed.

Down the hall, Reid came out of his room and snuck into Kat's. He felt accomplished with his ninja skills. He looked down at the frame he brought along, the one that held the picture of him and Kat. They were both so happy. What didn't make sense was how she left so unhappily. He'd seen her fighting back crying. She was only transferring or at least that's what he could remember. Granted, it was out of the country and seeing her again would more than likely not happen, but he was happy for her. Reid's eyebrows furrowed as he sat on her bed. He was pretty sure that he was happy for her. The bed looked as if it hadn't been used in months. Looking around, he noticed that most of her stuff was here as well with the exception of her closet having been rifled through and picture frames missing. Her laptop was gone too.

Sudden flashbacks flittered through his mind. They were unfamiliar. Kat and he laid side by side. Kat was staring at her wall where several papers were taped up, her hair was a mess. She was yelling at him, crying, sad, something about it not working.

Reid's hands tightened on the picture frame, cracking the glass. The faster the memories came, the more familiar they were. His chest rose and fell heavily as all of the feelings that he'd had before returned. Kat's spell was breaking.

"Bitch." He breathed.

He threw the frame across the wall and fell to the floor, leaning back against the bed side. Her words moments before she 'used' on him was the last thing he remembered. His mouth opened enough to let in air. He sucked it in painfully. He caught his head in his hands as he shook.

There was nobody else. He could remember when she walked in applying for the room, saying no to it then, just working her up. Playing with her temper, her easy temper was something he loved to do and she knew. She wasn't afraid to snap back at him and now she was gone. It wouldn't be so bad if he was going back to Ipswich. None of them were though.

Downstairs in the kitchen, Caleb leaned on the counter, a freshly brewed cup of coffee in his hands. He took a sip and let it burn down his esophagus. KAt wouldn't be walking through those doors anymore.

"Hey,"

Caleb looked over his shoulder to see Sarah walking in.

"Qwerty fell asleep. Did she go?"

Caleb only managed a nod. Words kept getting stuck like a lump in his throat trying ot choke him.

"She'll be okay. She's strong. She'll come out on top."

"I'm surprised that you're not angry at her."

"I know she wasn't herself. I saw it instantly. Qwerty on the other hand didn't."

Caleb let out a sigh.

"When do you want to go back?" Caleb asked.

"I can spare a few days. I want to be here with you."

She placed her delicate hand on the center of his back and moved it down then back up in a comforting nature. Caleb took her hand and kissed it sweetly, giving her a weak smile.

"We'll all miss her."

"Sarah, I did something."

"What do you mean?"

Caleb turned around so that his back was against the counter. How would he begin to tell her? It wasn't terrible. He fixed everything, but he still remembered what it was like when she had never lived here.

"I 'used' earlier." He paused. "I went back and told AKt that she couldn't live with us. Everything was different."

He stopped. His hands shook and his heart sped up. Sarah took the coffee cup from his hands and set it aside then took his hand in hers.

"You can tell me Caleb."

Caleb told her everything that happened. The two moved to the living room part way through his story, and Sarah sat in the comfort of Caleb's arms. He left out no detail only because he couldn't forget it. Pogue had left a while ago saying that he was hungry. They only said okay not wanting to call him out on why he was really going. The sun had fully risen over the horizon a little over a half an hour ago and golden rays sown through the front window through the room. The house felt small from everything that had happened in it. Nostalgia ran thick though the walls, the floor, the TV, the couch, the beds, their minds, their veins, and their hearts. For the first time, there was a chasm. It was large and wouldn't fill easily if at all.

* * *

><p><strong>Don't forget to review. I would appreciate it!<strong>


	44. Skank Alert

**It's been a very long time I realize. I apologize for that, but here is a new chapter!**

* * *

><p><strong>Seven Months Later…<strong>

There had been no letters. No calls. No visits. She was gone.

Pogue had moved in to Reid's old room. Reid took What used to be Kat's room. Tera had called a few times worried that Kat hadn't made contact in a very long time. Nobody could really say where she was because it had been a long time since they'd seen her, and they hadn't seen her in Ipswich any.

She had disappeared and anybody who did know her whereabouts weren't talking…

"I can't believe it's nearly summer." Caleb murmured.

"I can't believe we're making it to senior year alive." Qwerty snorted.

The two sat at the kitchen table working on statistics. Looking up from her two hundred dollar book, she saw him tense. The words had come out quicker than she had thought them. Not everybody had lived to make it to senior year. Kat, Ryan, Whitney; they weren't here. Even after the vendetta that Kat had gone on trying to kill everyone because of Chase telling her to, Qwerty missed her. She was her best friend. They told each other everything. Qwerty was able to complain about Tyler's snoring problem to her. Now there was nobody.

"Hey, I'm going to head out. I'll see you later. Tell everyone I said hey."

She gathered her books together and left the house. She like having alone time especially now. It was so often now that she thought everything in the not so far off past. This Chase guy coming in a fucking everything up, killing Kat, and Ryan. Kat having already died before that. Finding out that her friends and boyfriend are warlocks or some crazy shit like that. Why didn't she transfer? Even now she wasn't sure why. She liked to think that part of it was because she was never bored. Another part was that she was in love. Stupid love. It made her stay.

Getting back to the apartment, she stopped in front of the guest room. After Kat left the house, this was her room. Qwerty was sure that her home was always with them.

She walked down to her room and undressed then wrapped a towel around herself. Going to the bathroom, she turned on the faucet of the tub. Steam rose making the small bathroom muggy. The water was warm when she sank into it. For a little while her worries were gone. They proceeded to be gone even as she slept. Tonight she was lucky. She dreamt of nothing. There wasn't the free falling feeling in a dream. No nightmares about her best friend trying to kill her. It was a nice comfortable darkness. Her alarm went off and it felt too soon to be waking.

Begrudgingly, she got up and went about her normal routine and went to class. The first class went as it usually did. She struggled to stay awake and wondered yet again why she decided that an 8:30am class. When the class finally ended she yawned and put her notebook in her bag. She made her way out of class absentmindedly. Making it out of the room, she ran into somebody. Spinning around, she saw that she'd nearly knocked over.

"Oh, sorry!" Qwerty exclaimed. She covered her mouth in horror.

"It's okay." The young woman chuckled.

Qwerty laughed lightly. The girl had platinum blonde hair with black streaks. Black bracelets lined up her arm.

"I wasn't paying attention."

"It's cool, really." She assured Qwerty. "I'm Danika."

She held out her hand. Qwerty took it and shook it.

"Qwerty."

"That's your name?" Danika stared skeptically.

"I know," Qwerty drawled out, "it's terrible."

Danika laughed heartily.

"Well, it was great to meet you, really it was. I just transferred, but uhhh, I have to get to class. Maybe I'll run into you." Danika sounded hopeful.

"I'm sure you will."

Qwerty smiled and walked down the hall towards the exit.

"Oh, I know I will." Danika smirked.

Qwerty was beyond happy when lunch time came around. The cafeteria was crowded with the usual. Near the back of the large room she could see Tyler and Reid. They were smiling. She quirked her head to the side a little as she made her way to the table. They were facing someone. Someone who had their back to her.

"Hey there." Tyler greeted, getting up and pecking her on the lips. "This is-"

"Danika." Qwerty finished.

The dark streaked blonde looked up at her from her seat and smiled. Qwerty looked over at Tyler and Reid who were smiling like fools. It was strange. Reid hadn't actually smiled since Kat's departure. He's been quiet, and he's kept himself busy so that he didn't have to talk to any of them that much. He had basically turned into an emo. He was smiling though. He was happy. His eyes were sparkling the way they used to when he and Kat would argue. Joy.

"Hey!" she greeted happily and patted the chair next to her.

The entirety of lunch was spent listening to Danika talk about herself. Aparantly she was one heck of a traveler having been to Spain, Australia, Japan and she transferred from Harvard. The more she talked the more Qwerty disliked her. And that dislike turned into hate, especially when Tyler was laughing at her idiotic jokes.

By the end of the day Danika had invaded her mind, and she was the only thing she could think about. Something was deeply wrong with her. Who transfers a month and a half before the end of the year and from Harvard? Was Ivy League so bad?

Qwerty pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed Sarah's number. She gave it to her saying that she could call anytime. This was one of those times.

*Hello?*

"Hey Sarah. I have a question…"

*Alright.*

"This girl, Danika, just transferred in."

*Really? Isn't it late to be transferring in?*

"That's what I thought. She says that she transferred from Harvard. Have you heard about her on campus?"

*No. I don't know about a Danika of any kind.*

"Alright. I'm going to go talk to the guys. Thanks."

*Of course. Tell Caleb I said I love him.*

"Alright."

Qwerty hung up and rushed out of the apartment. Something was up and not the good kind of up.

The guys were carrying on when she go tto the house. There was no hello like usual. Tyler didn't come to kiss her at the door like he usually did. In fact, nobody was saying anything. All three of them were in the dining room carrying on. Walking into the room, she saw Danika surrounded by them laughing like the ditz she was. Qwerty bit the inside of her cheek. Tyler sat on her left and Caleb on her right. Reid was leaning against the counter which separated the kitchen and dining room. Seeing him smile made her happy. She hated seeing him in this rut because of Kat. It wasn't altogether her fault. It was for the best that she was gone. She knew that it killed him inside though. From the moment she walked through the door looking for a place to live, he was taken with her. She was his kind of sassy. Now, by the looks of it, this blonde bitch was trying to snake her way in and not just with him. Tyler and Caleb were acting smitten with her.

"What's going on?" Qwerty asked, her tone terse.

They were acting like they had known her forever. She nudged Caleb, giggling. Qwerty watched her closely. Something was seriously wrong.

"We're just helping Dani get caught up on some work." Caleb said.

"She has a nickname now?"

"Stop being sour." Tyler laughed.

"Excuse me?" Qwerty hissed. "You're acting like a fool."

Reid rolled his eyes huffing then grabbed her by the arm and led her back towards the living room. Nearly making her fall, he stopped at the front door.

"We get that you're the only chick we really hang out with, but lighten up. She's harmless and friends aren't going to kill us."

"Reid, I don't think she's a friend." Qwerty said as she looked past him into the kitchen.

Danika put her hand on Tyler's shoulder and laughed. Qwerty's jaw tensed and she moved to get past Reid. He stopped her quick.

"Look, if you're not going to be nice to her then why don't you just go." He said.

"Reid!" she exclaimed. "I've known you guys longer than that twit!"

"Qwerty, seriously. Just go."

"Asshole." She breathed.

She slammed the door behind her. She crossed her arms over her chest angrily and took bitch stance trying to think of what to do. What would Kat do, she thought.

"Stomp the bitch." She growled.

She glanced back once more afraid that the freaky chick would show up and do some of her weird stuff on her like she was doing to the guys. three out of four of them were taken, but for some reason that wasn't registering.

"Never thought I'd have to save your asses."

Walking fast almost running, she made her way to the campus library hoping that there were books on whores who were out for boyfriends.

She scoured the book shelves of the library pulling down books from love spells to Greek myths to modern day witch craft. This library wasn't shy about stocking up on anything and everything. Lucky for her the library was open twenty-four hours.

By midnight she was able to cross banshee and gorgon off the list. With these guys anything was possible so she didn't leave any possibility to elike magnets to anything out of this world. They w Around 1:30 she got up and made a coffee run. The fresh air felt good. The walk gave her time to think. She checked her phone too. There were no voicemails. Her heart fell a little. Soon enough they wouldn't even be together. That or cheating on her with that…

"Fuck, she's a siren." Qwerty said aloud dropping her coffee on the ground.

All of the attention this Danika was suddenly getting from them, how they didn't even seem to recognize their girlfriends. It all made sense because nobody was that good, well, except Reid, but now days he wasn't like that. Not at all. He was reserved, quiet, lonely.

She burst into a run towards the house. Don't be dead, she thought.

Getting to the house, she ran in. The house was dark. She picked up the bat next to the coat rack. Pogue had brought it with him. Gripping it tightly, she walked to the kitchen slowly. The stove light was on. The dimness of it lit the kitchen with a glow. There was nobody.

"Looking for somebody?"

Qwerty spun around, jumping from the sudden scare making her heart go from turtle to jack rabbit. Pogue chuckled as he leaned agasint the wall. Qwerty gulped and took a step back. His eyes for what she could see of them through his air were pitch black.

"I was wondering where everyone was, yeah." she replied.

"They're upstairs."

"Asleep?"

It was a dumb, but seemingly valid question.

"From the noises I've been hearing, doubtful."

The smirk on his face was playful, but frightening at the same time.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Are you okay? Danika told me you weren't acting like yourself."

"Take a look in the mirror dude. You guys are the freaks at the moment."

Pogue pushed himself from the wall and took a step closer to her. She raised the bat. It would be nothing for him to toss her across the room.

"Am I scaring you?" he asked darkly

He was. "No."

"You should be Qwerty. It'll e nothing to get rid of you. I mean, Danika came up with the idea, but we agreed. We don't need you."

She swung the bat hard at him hitting the side of his head. He fell to the ground going out cold. Slowly, she reached down and pressed two fingers to his neck gingerly. There was a steady pulse against her fingers. Moving stealthily, she went to the kitchen and grabbed the chef's knife from the second drawer. She left Pogue on the floor, moving around him carefully.

She could hear the noises Pogue was talking about, moans and outcries. She crinkled her nose in disgust. Inside, she hoped that it wasn't Tyler who was with her. It was coming from Kat's room. Qwerty's palms sweated as she gripped the bat tighter and got closer and closer to the room.

"Qwerty."

Not waiting to see who was behind her she swung the bat. He caught it, the bat making a loud thwack in his hand. She tried to pull back, but it was futile. He grinned at her ominously. All types of thinking went out the window. Adrenaline became her brain, and she kicked Caleb hard in his crotch causing him to keel over. Pulling the bat back, she swung and hit him across the side of his head sending flying down the stairs.

"Thank god for playing softball back in high school." She breathed.

Raising her leg, she kicked open the bedroom door wasting no time and barged in. Danika sat on the bed, her head tilted back on Reid's shoulder as he sat behind her kissing her neck. Though qwerty could only see his upper half from the way he sat, she was sure he was naked. Tyler stood off to the side not giving her a second glance as he started making his way onto the bed. Their eyes were also black.

Danika moaned as she looked at Qwerty, smirking like she owned them. Like they were her dogs. Her eyes glowed a sky blue color, and she hummed a beautiful non-place able tune. Qwerty shook her head and gripped the bat tightly having it almost slip from her hands.

Running at the near orgy, she swung and knocked Tyler backwards.

"Sorry!"

Reid got up and he was very naked.

"Oh my god. You have no decency!"

She swung at him next knocking him unconscious. He shuttered looking away. Danika who was also extremely naked rose to her knees on the bed, her eyes now a vibrant, angry red. Qwerty swung at her quickly, but she grabbed the bat from her and flung it, hitting Tyler with it. He made an oomph sound.

"You couldn't leave well enough alone!" She hissed.

Her voice had changed rapidly to something echoingly horrifying. Qwerty shook and looked at both of her unconscious friend who were supposed to be the saviors. She felt a sharp poke in her thigh as she backed up away from the she-slut. She pulled the knife from her pocket and held it out in front of her like it was Excalibur. Danika only laughed and stood at the end of the bed now,her hands on hips. Her nails were like claws, long and gulped pictured them sinking into her throat while being strangled to death.

"They don't even need you."

"I think you're wrong about that."

She ran at her and tackled her to the bed and punched her with her free hand then shoved the knife in the side of her throat hard. Both of their eyes' widened in horror and a loud scream like screech came from her mouth.

"Ahhhh!" Qwerty yelled and pulled the knife up, but the knife didn't come out and she continued to scream.

She covered her ears feeling blood bleeding from them. Her eyes watered. Falling to the side, she blinked rapidly and wiped her eyes. They were bleeding too. Her head felt like it would explode any minute.

Reaching over, she grabbed the hilt of the knife and yanked up again. a loud crack resounded. The knife had snapped her neck, but she still screamed. Yanking as hard as she could, she pulled the knife through her neck causing blood to spurt everywhere.

The screaming died, and the red in her eyes faded as she did.

"These men are taken skank," Qwerty croaked.

She laid there for a moment. Neither Tyler nor Reid got up. I really did knock them out, she thought. The siren's blood seeped into her hair as it pour from her throat onto Reid's bed. Her head pounded like a thousand hammers.

After a few more seconds, she got up, grabbed the knife and bat and crept downstairs being careful to walk over Caleb. Pogue hadn't moved. There was a heavy welt from his temple down to his chin. Qwerty snickered. It would be a dark purple bruise in an hour or so. She didn't want to hurt them. even more so, she didn't want them to hurt her if that siren slut had told them to. It was for their own good, she told herself. She set the knife on the coffee table, but kept the bat in hand and laid down on the couch. She let out a loud sigh and closed her eyes.

She knew that she should be afraid to go to sleep after the crazy ass day. She knew that it could get worse, but was too tired to bother. Yawning, she fell asleep.

* * *

><p>"Qwerty." Caleb touched her shoulder.<p>

She shot up and swung the bat at him. He caught the end of it. "Whoa."

"Are you you?" she stuttered.

She realized then that she was holding her breath and so was he. She let go of the bat.

"Yeah, I think so."

He rubbed his head. Qwerty grimaced at seeing the bruising on his temple and cheekbone.

"What happened? I remember this blonde girl and you hitting me in the face."

"Uhhh…well, I—"

She looked down at her hands. They were sore and had a cut on the left one. Probably from trying to behead

"WHAT THE FUCK!"

Pogue still laid on the floor knocked unconscious. Caleb ran up the stairs two at a time followed by Qwerty. At the top of the stairs, Reid came barreling out of his room almost falling while zipping up his jeans. He stared wide eyed and terrified into his bedroom.

"There is a dead thing on my bed!" he screamed.

He pressed himself hard against Caleb's door, staring in horror.

"What happened?"

"She was a siren." Qwerty said blankly.

She still held the baseball bat in her hand.

"You did this?" Caleb exclaimed.

"Yeah, you guys would've killed me first."

"We wouldn't hurt you."

"You tried last night because of that…" she trailed off as she peeked into the room.

Lunch from yesterday threatened to come up right then. "She did not look like that last night."

The bed was covered in black with a body whose skin was also black. Its legs hung over the edge, limp and dead. Qwerty walked slowly into the room raising the bat. Before getting across the threshold, she was grabbed by the shoulder.

"I'll go in."

"Tyler's in there."

"I'll go." He insisted.

His eyes turned black. It wasn't so ominous like it was last night. The offensive turned into the defensive. Qwerty lowered the bat, but didn't release her tight grip on it. Though it was probably a very useless weapon against four warlocks, it was just about all she had. Reid came up alongside her. She stepped to the side a little. Seeing him in all his glory would be stuck in her memory for a very long time and not in the good way. He gave her a split second awkward look then followed Caleb to get a closer look.

Qwerty jumped at hearing a groaning and let out a breath of relief at seeing that it was just Tyler coming around. She slid down to her knees by his side. The side of his face like Caleb and Reid was swollen and purple. She touched it lightly making him flinch.

"What happened? I feel like I got blackout drunk." He groaned.

"No, Qwerty just murdered some chick on my bed. Apparently she was a siren." Reid answered still shaken.

"Oh."

He looked at her. She forced a smile happy that his baby blues were back. Her fingers caressed along his jaw then she pulled back and slapped him. Both men turned and stared down at them.

"I cannot believe you nearly slept with that ugly ass skank!"

"I don't even remember it. I only remember feeling really—"

"Don't even finish that." she growled angrily.

"Apparently we had no control."

He looked to the guys for support. They looked back at the dead siren on the bed. Reid's face twisted in disgust. The memories he had in this room were tainted because of this. His stomach twisted disgusted by its true form. He remembered every detail regrettably. Even Qwerty having seen all of him. As long as she said nothing then neither would he. But this gross mess would take up most of his day that's for sure. it certainly wouldn't make for a good excuse when he told his professors that he didn't get his assignments finished.

"How did she know about us? She must have known or else why would she come here?

"I don't know," Qwerty said, standing up bringing Tyler with her, "but I saved your asses and have yet to hear a thank you."

He stressed a long breath as he moved his head from side to side then stretched his arms.

"You also kicked our asses." Reid pointed to his face.

"When I came to tell you guys, she was already working her…wits. Pogue came after me and I didn't want to chance it with any of you. You could snap my neck with the snap of your fingers."

Tyler wrapped his arms around her. She was tense, but slowly she relaxed in his comforting hold.

"I'll show my appreciation later." He mumbled into her ear. She felt the rumble in his chest more.

"You better shower first. You almost got way into it with that," she pointed at the dead siren.

"I've never been so happy that I got beaten up by a girl." Reid said.

"I'm going to go check on Pogue."

Qwerty watched him walk out of the room bothered. More than likely it was because he wasn't sure how far he had been coerced into going. Tyler squeezed her a little. She smiled at him glad that he was back to normal and she didn't have to be scared

"You guys scared me last night. No more trying to kill me." She said.

"Ditto." Reid chuckled pointing to his face.

She smiled even more. He was laughing. Did that mean he was okay? That he was moving on even if it was only a little? His eyes were troubled, but he wasn't completely sad. He wouldn't talk about it if he was asked. Qwerty knew that. It was typical Reid. Tyler led her from the room, his arms slung around her neck casually as if claiming her. And he was claimed.

She glanced back at Reid. His smile was gone and he was mumbling, but she couldn't hear him. Trying to read his lips however, it looked like…

"I wish you were here…"

"Me too." Qwerty mumbled.


End file.
